Where there any black Confederates?

Answer 1

The blacks, almost overwhelmingly slaves, who were pressed into service by the Confederate Army as servants, teamsters, drovers and laborers were *not* soldiers. They were not trained, were not uniformed, were not paid and were not armed. Furthermore their service was not voluntary, they did what their owners required them to do. Although the nature of their duties was such that they did sometimes come under fire, even being killed and wounded, without weapons they could not fight. They were not in the army, they were all merely laborers used by the army for detail work to free white men, soldiers, for fighting. The only black militia unit of which I am aware was formed in New Orleans in 1861. New Orleans had a large free black population who were accepted as such by white society. The blacks formed a militia regiment and offered there services to the Confederacy but were refused. After the city fell to Union forces they accepted service in the Union army. The only blacks actually enlisted in the Confederate Army were those taken under an act of a desperate congress in 1865. A few regiments of slaves were formed in Richmond and they began drilling but the city fell before they could be put into line. They do not seem to have been with the army when it surrendered at Appomattox so presumeably the units just dissolved and the men went home. Now having said all that, I will acknowledge that, nationalism being a funny thing, there were Southern blacks with regional pride that was stronger than whatever resentment they may have had of slavery and who hoped for and did what they could for Southern victory but they were not enlisted in the Confederate Army nor were they soldiers.

there were Black Confederate soldiers. This is a fact, not fiction. Conservative estimates state that over 50,000 African-Confederates served in the Confederate Army. Many of these men saw combat and participated in it. Some died.

Although the Confederate Congress did not authorize Colored Units in the Confederate Army until 1865, when it was too late, there were many unofficial soldiers overlooked by officers who were desperate to fill the ranks so quickly dwindling. Also, many individual Southern states authorized colored militia units. For example, Alabama in 1862.

Some would ask, "Why would they serve; why would they fight?" They served and fought for the same reasons as their white counterparts. They felt that the South was their home, too. Whether slave or free, each had a stake in the society and each had a home they felt endeared to. For example, many Charleston negroes actually cheered at the possibility that they would be able to shoot Yankees shortly after the outbreak of War.

African-Confederates not only offered their services as soldiers but also as laborers. Many colored communities took up collections for the Confederate War Effort. Even individual negroes, both free and slave, contributed their money for the Confederate Government.

The African-Confederate went to War for the South as body servants, teamsters, laborers, and even soldiers. Many saw action. Some were wounded and some were killed in defense of the South. Most were loyal and cared for their master with whom they went to war. Many cases tell of a body servant removing a wounded soldier to the surgeon or taking the body of a fallen soldier home for proper burial.

How many Black soldiers served for the Confederacy in the War Between the States? Perhaps no one will ever know. Estimates run anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000. However, because the victors- the north - needed to give the world the impression the War was fought over slavery, a concerted scheme was put into motion to suppress the figures by destroying records, thus giving credence to their 'the war was fought over slavery' mantra. While a large number of government records were distorted or destroyed, thousands of 'other' records in the form of letters and photos remain.

The black Confederates were a combination of free blacks and slaves who were house servants accompanying white masters, Kennedy said. Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest freed 44 of his slaves after they served Forrest's cavalry forces, Kennedy said. Unlike blacks in the Union Army who served in all-black regiments, blacks in the Confederate Army fought in mixed units, he said.

Black Confederates Why haven't we heard more about them? National Park Service historian, Ed Bearrs, stated, "I don't want to call it a conspiracy to ignore the role of Blacks both above and below the Mason-Dixon line, but it was definitely a tendency that began around 1910" Historian, Erwin L. Jordan, Jr., calls it a "cover-up" which started back in 1865. He writes, "During my research, I came across instances where Black men stated they were soldiers, but you can plainly see where 'soldier' is crossed out and 'body servant' inserted, or 'teamster' on pension applications." Another black historian, Roland Young, says he is not surprised that blacks fought. He explains that "some, if not most, Black southerners would support their country" and that by doing so they were "demonstrating it's possible to hate the system of slavery and love one's country." This is the very same reaction that most African Americans showed during the American Revolution, where they fought for the colonies, even though the British offered them freedom if they fought for them.