Let's review what it said.
"Henderson was born in 1849 in Davidson County, NC. He was 11 years old when he entered service with the Confederate States of America as a cook and servant to Colonel William F. Henderson, a medical doctor."
Eleven years old, later took the same name as the person he served, can there be any doubt that in this case he was a slave?
Just out of curiosity how many free black men do you think served in the confederate army?
The majority of 90,000.
Henderson was born in Davis County, N.C., in 1849, and was a slave who was owned Dr. William F. Henderson of Williamsburg, N.C. When the Civil War broke out, Henderson was a young slave who was most likely a cook. Records on slaves and black soldiers were poorly kept, so Henderson’s background is sketchy at best. It is believed he probably fought with the Confederacy out of loyalty to his owner and because he didn’t want to be transferred to the North. He fought with the Longstreet Division, and he may have been wounded in the war. At one time, Henderson tried to get a pension for his service in the South.
“We don’t believe he ever got a pension, but he got money to help bury him,” said Oscar Fingers, Henderson’s great-grandson.
Here's a response to the Crossville Chronicle article:
How does a servant or slave enter the service? Notice that no attempt is made at telling the story from Henderson's perspective. And the reason is because his view is ultimately irrelevant as the ceremony has nothing to do with him. Claiming that he "served" provides a sufficient reason to believe that the U.D.C. is engaged in the invention of a past that it finds comforting or worth commemorating. Forget about analysis here and any pretense to trying to uncover a richer surrounding this individual.