Black Confederate soldiers overlooked during Black History Month

Knoxville News Sentinel ^ | 2/27/5 | EDWARD A. BARDILL

[SmithL]

The month of February has begun and so has the celebration of Black History Month in the nation, schools and communities. Throughout this time, many noteworthy leaders, citizens, scientists and soldiers who fought in wars and conflicts will be recognized.

However, there is one group of African Americans who will receive no recognition again this year during this month. I am speaking of black Confederates who served and fought to defend their homeland from what they believed to be an armed invasion.

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The South was home to some 4 million who lived there and had roots going back more than 200 years. Deep devotion, love of homeland and strong Christian faith joined black with white Confederate soldiers in defense of their homes and families.

A conservative estimate is that between 50,000 to 60,000 served in the Confederate units. Both slave and free black soldiers served as cooks, musicians and even combatants. The first northern officer killed in battle was Maj. Theodore Winthrop, who was shot by a black sniper of the Wythe Rifles of Hampton, Va.

The most amazing fact concerning black Confederates is that they served within the Confederate units alongside their white brothers in arms while their Union counterparts were kept separate in all-black units led by white officers (as portrayed in the movie "Glory").

In fact, it was not until 1950 that the U.S. military integrated its units at the start of the Korean War.

On Jan. 22, H.K. Edgerton, a former head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in North Carolina, was the keynote speaker for the annual Sons of Confederate Veterans dinner in Knoxville. Although his scheduled appearance to speak on southern heritage and black Confederates was published a week ahead in the local paper, not one representative of any established mainstream news media was present to record his comments.

Edgerton was the second African American to speak on black Confederates and other historical facts in the last five years whose comments were only heard by the attendees and went unpublished. Dr. Leonard Haynes, a professor at Southern University, stated: "When you eliminate the black Confederate soldier, you've eliminated the history of the South."

For those who have been taught or misled to think the people in the northern cities were more tolerant and supportive of their black population, look up the Draft Riots of 1863.

Maj. Arthur Fremantle of the British Army was an observer for Queen Victoria and spent three months with the Army of Northern Virginia and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Freemantle kept a diary and had arrived in New York City just in time to personally observe and witness the worst riots in our history.

He included in his diary seeing gangs of white men chasing, beating and even hanging blacks. Some black men and women were even pulled from their homes and beaten. Police and militias were called out, and more than 1,200 people lost their lives during the three days of riots.

The rioters resented free blacks being excluded from the draft since they were not considered citizens. The motion picture "Gangs of New York" shows some of this violence.

In closing, I have written this article in the hope that it will ignite people to research, read, study and discover the true historical facts. For me to remain silent as an American citizen, Southerner, retired soldier and living historian and ignore the service and sacrifices of these forgotten soldiers is unacceptable.

I quote the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who said: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

[sauropod]

yep.

[LS]

Yankee scum? I was born in Arizona, you idiot.

Lincoln said he would not free a single slave anywhere if the stupid Confeds would come back into the Union. The fact that they wouldn't tells you the war was ENTIRELY about slavery---because the southern states knew that slavery was doomed politically in the long run.

Don't let THOSE facts trip you up.

[Non-Sequitur]

I didn't "claim" there was "more than 4 million servants in the North"

You claimed that it was just as prevalent in the North as slavery was in the South. So where is your support? What states? How many indentured servants in 1860? How long were their indentures?

[MJY1288]

My point was that Slavery was not the reason for the Civil War. Slavery existed in all of the original 13 Colonies, and the South was no more guilty than the North. I know the South held more slaves than the North, but does that really make a difference?

[antisocial]

http://www.credenda.org/issues/9-1historia.php

Here's a link to some more black Confederates, hope it doesn't ruin your day!

[4CJ]

You can see info about the documentary and it's sources here: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/

About as truthful as Bill Clinton stating, 'I did not have sex with that women', or Tawana Brawley's accusation. I prefer to read accounts from the ex-slaves themselves, collected by the federal government in The Slave Narratives, and other personal accounts of the period.

[4CJ]

I know the South held more slaves than the North, but does that really make a difference?

The south had more free blacks.

[yankhater]

You are right about the New Orleans Native Guard having served in the Battle of New Orleans. Most of them were wealthy mixed race Creoles and had a long track record of war service.

There were in fact many black soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Rhode Island for example had many black soldiers serving in their units. It is estimated that 15% of all of the American soldiers in Washington's Army were black by 1781.

As for the Native Guards, they were turned down for Confederate Service in 1862 and switched allegiance to the Union cause. There were blacks that attempted to join the CSA but were turned down.

To their credit Lee and Cleburne wished to use black troops. Moderates had suffiencenlty taken enough control of the Richmond government to allow Lee to raise two black regiments but they were in no major battles (April 1865 was too late for their service).

I assume that there were an unknown number of blacks, light skinned etc. who "passed" as white and served the CSA. Many blacks also served in uniform as orderlies. And it is not a myth to say that from time to time a slave picked up a rifle to defend their home. Official black service was denied however repeatedly by the Richmond Government.

There were many in the South that wished to arm slaves but they were shouted down by the "fire-eaters". The big difference between the Rev War or even 1812 and the Civil War were events such as Nat Turner and John Brown. People feared arming blacks....north and south.

That being said, I always defend the right of Southerners to defend their ancestors' service. It would have been great if the South had been able to free blacks to fight for the CSA. But the people who started the CSA had no intention of doing so. The moderates like Lee and Cleburne were more honorable and more representative of the best of the South. Sad to say they didn't get their way.

Just my little voice again saying to respect both our southern and northern heroes.

YH

[yankhater]

I'm replying to myself just to clarify that if you read my previous post it might sound as if I think New Orleans was in the Rev War. I forgot to add a sentence saying...Before 1812 as early as the Rev War there were even blacks serving....etc.

[norton]

"Because if they didn't then Maryland,Delaware and Kentucky would;ve seceded and the Union would have begun in Philadelphia not Washington."

Not intending to join in a names contest, but does that not pretty much blow out the 'free the slaves' thing?
That and emancipating only those slaves behind the other guy's lines?

(Magnolia Ark. and Corpus Christi TX)

[Non-Sequitur]

Now why would that ruin my day? The confederate army used black labor throughout it's entire existence. Some was free, some was slave. Some were conscripted, some were there voluntarily. I've never disputed that. But there are some facts to the matter. Fact one is that that labor was not officially sanctioned until 1864 when the confederate government first authorized the enlistment of blacks for supporting roles only. Fact two is that no blacks were authorized in a combat role until 1865. So talk of vast regiments of black confederate soldiers participating in battles and valiantly fighting the Yankee horde is nonsense. There were no doubt some isolated incidents of blacks in the ranks, fighting shoulder to shoulder with white confederates, but they were few and far between.

[DixieOklahoma]

Ohh I understood, I was mainly addressing that to PBS, not to you though ;)

[DixieOklahoma]

Atlanta is interestred in nothing but revision. I'm supprised the confederate soldiers in the reenactment you spoke of weren't forced to wear hoods.

[DixieOklahoma]

Maryland and Delaware are the two states I am speaking of directly. Lincoln made no attempt to free the slaves in those states. Why not? they were both solidly under his control. I'm not talking about kentucky missiouri or TN where it was split down the middle. Lincoln had control of those two states, but the great emancipator did nothing to end the slavery there.

[DixieOklahoma]

Lincoln said he would not free a single slave anywhere if the stupid Confeds would come back into the Union. The fact that they wouldn't tells you the war was ENTIRELY about slavery

Why did the great emancipator say he wouldn't free a single slave if he was fighting to rid the world of slavery?!!?! LOL

Geeze, you'd have to go to school a long time to learn THAT kind of logic.

The great emancipator should have stuck to outlawing slavery within his own borders (maryland and delaware). But being the white supremacist that lincoln was he didn't much care about slavery. He offered southern slaves the same offer all american slaves got during the revolutionary war, no more, no less. The war was about the taxes stupid.

Tarrif of abominations and the like that had been building up for years.

[DixieOklahoma]

Indentured servants? How about outright slavery in maryland and delaware?? LOL don't let THOSE facts trip you up. Why did the great emancipator refuse to emancipate slaves under his control?

[DixieOklahoma]

Ruining Non Sequitur's day:





All of which are various confederate reunions and soldiers.

[Non-Sequitur]

Why did the great emancipator refuse to emancipate slaves under his control?

He didn't. The 13th Amendment was passed and sent for ratification while he was president.

[Non-Sequitur]

Why are the 1st Louisiana Native Guard wearing Union uniforms in your picture?

[Non-Sequitur]

Why are the 1st Louisiana Native Guard wearing Union uniforms in your picture?