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"instead the Black volunteers served in state, militia,partisan ranger, home guards & "privately raised" formations."

And you can cite for us the names of their units, their commanders, and the battles in which they fought?

Seems to me this would be a matter of some interest to northern units fighting against them, and yet it was never mentioned, that I know of.

As you say, "defending their country" would be the reason for any free black soldiers in the Confederate Army. Since they were already free, and some even owned slaves of their own, the issue of slavery may not have been foremost for them.

But you seriously misunderstand Americans in general, let alone northerners, if you suppose them willing to fight and die just to support some elite cabal over trivial "economic interests" or some other non-vital reason.

Americans will ONLY knowingly fight and die in support of a Just Cause, and in 1861 - 1865 that cause was "to preserve the Union and abolish slavery." So, regardless of whatever the "elites" may have intended, the average American understood that when the war was over the Union would be preserved and slavery abolished.

And that's just what happened.

actually, from the northern perspective, the war was about ONE main thing: preserving the union. (in 1861 you could not have found 10,ooo people in the country who were willing to die to "free the slaves".)

from the southern perspective, the war was about ONE main issue: FREEDOM for dixie.

it was only AFTER it was feared, by lincoln & his advisers, that the British & Canadians might "come into" the war on the CSA side, that "freeing the slaves" became "The GRAND Crusade" (fwiw, that's whats called a SELF-serving LIE.)

free dixie,sw

actually, there are MANY unit operations reports that mention Blacks fighting against the union. LOTS.

also, what you asked me to do is called (on FR): assigning homework. (sorry, but i CHARGE people 60.oo a hour to do research.)

HINT: do a check of the older WBTS threads & you will find the numbers you want. "nolo chan" years ago listed those figures on FR.

free dixie,sw

American understood that when the war was over the Union would be preserved and slavery abolished.

Americans? I would say that in 1861 every southerner would have said cram your Union. The fearless leader of the Yankees, the Illinois Butcher™, stated he would have prevented the war if he could by freeing none of the slaves. No, in my opinion, the war of Northern aggression was simply a naked act of Federal power over sovereign states. Since slavery is not an issue anymore, what justification would the Feds use to crush a seceding state(s) now?