Response to your answer about the Cornwell Civil War books, it maybe the author just likes being a contrarian about character’s origins and presenting a-typical views of historical periods. His major series I’ve read is very like this concerning the main character and the Christian Church. In addition some abolitionists were quite nasty people as well.

First, I have no patience for contrarianism for the sake of contrarianism. 

Second, considering the way that the Lost Cause has absolutely dominated the popular historical memory of the Civil War, there’s nothing contrarian or atypical about the Starback Chronicles. If anything, it’s rather cliche in the long, long history of the genre of Civil War historical fiction.

Third, while I’m sure some abolitionists might have been “quite nasty people” as individuals, what made them a group was their common commitment to the abolition of slavery. So when the one stand-in for abolitionists in a series is a sneering villain, I’m going to side-eye the hell out of that series.