the vast majority of those volunteers were NOT members of the PACSA (i.e., THE REGULAR ARMY of the CSA, which was a military force of LESS than THREE THOUSAND persons!)- instead the Black volunteers served in state, militia,partisan ranger, home guards & "privately raised" formations.
fwiw, many REVISIONIST LEFTIST "historians" out of the north say that "a few slaves" fought in the southern forces. (this is called a LIE by MISDIRECTION/OMMISSION, as those same "historians" KNOW full well that slaves COULD NOT serve in the forces, as they were NOT free to take the CSA's Oath of Enlistment. - btw, MANY slaves were FREED so that they COULD take The Oath.)
btw, Frederick Douglas in 1861 said that THOUSANDS of Blacks were serving in the CSA army, "with real rifles on their shoulders". Douglas further said that "they are defending their country".
free dixie,sw
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.
That's free Black VOLUNTEERS, isn't that your claim? So were's the book so you can post the page for all to see?