The majority of Southern whites were poor, illiterate, owned no slaves. Wealthy elites owned large tracts of land and slaves. The Civil War was, "A rich man's war and a poor man's fight" Rich men could pay substitutes. Readers read and wrote letters home. Wives starved. Desertion a huge problem
True, a lot of those "states rights" Confederates who would "fight for the cause" actually bought their way out (ahem, Drumpf) to send the poor non slave owners.
Required owning certain number of slaves. Hired subs were to prevent leaving wife and daughters on plantation alone with a crew of slaves (who might rape them in master's absence)
Southern society was wealthy elites, former slaves, poor whites. The wealthy pitted poor whites and blacks against each other telling poor illiterate whites they were superior in order to maintain power as the poor vastly outnumbered the wealthy. It has been that way ever since