[TBP]

Which proves again that the war was never about slavery. But that won't stop the Lincoln idolators from repeating the statement.

I thought this policy was fairly well known.

[L98Fiero]

"I thought this policy was fairly well known."

Known to us who live in the South but, hey, who listens to us?

Some of the "handful":

It has been estimated that over 65,000 Southern blacks were in the Confederate ranks. Over 13,000 of these, "saw the elephant" also known as meeting the enemy in combat. These Black Confederates included both slave and free. The Confederate Congress did not approve blacks to be officially enlisted as soldiers (except as musicians), until late in the war. But in the ranks it was a different story. Many Confederate officers did not obey the mandates of politicians, they frequently enlisted blacks with the simple criteria, "Will you fight?" Historian Ervin Jordan, explains that "biracial units" were frequently organized "by local Confederate and State militia Commanders in response to immediate threats in the form of Union raids". Dr. Leonard Haynes, an African-American professor at Southern University, stated, "When you eliminate the black Confederate soldier, you've eliminated the history of the South."

http://www.37thtexas.org/html/BlkHist.html

[Austin Willard Wright]

Actually, you need to read the book. He notes that the attempt to arm slaves (done purely for military necessity) was a half-hearted affair which only began in early 1865! The pro-slavery Confederate leaders hated the idea so much that they waited until it was too late. Even then, this "emancipation" was incredibly hedged. For example, slaves had to be first voluntarily manumitted by their masters to be soldiers.

Even then, only a few troops were even in training by the end of the war and, none, apparently saw action. Very few slaves volunteered for this service in part because they were well aware that by 1865 the war was a losing cause. Read the book!

[LWalk18]

Which proves again that the war was never about slavery. But that won't stop the Lincoln idolators from repeating the statement.

If the war had nothing to do with slavery, then how come they wouldn't arm the slaves to save the Cause?

[RadioCirca1970]

But that won't stop the Lincoln idolators from repeating the statement.

Right on.

I havent used a 5 dollar bill since the Summer of 1978--just on Principle!

[steve-b]

*** BZZZZZTTT *** The fact that the proposal was rejected even when the Confederate treason was clearly about to be suppressed for good proves that the war was, indeed, about the preservation of slavery.