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Yes they were slaves but they did not have to fight. In fact for most of the war it was officially forbidden to arm the slaves. Most slaves in the front came as body servants to officers and enlisted white solders. There are more than a few accounts of the master running away while the "body servant" slave stayed and fought. They were free to return home when the master deserted but most chose to stay and serve. The article seems to imply the officers were behind arming the slaves and it is true for the people he cites but many officers did not approve, but the white enlisted men would cover for the Black slave who wanted to stay and fight. When the officer was around the slave would pretend to be about his business, cleaning weapons etc. but when the fighting started he would join his comrades. There is much testament from Union solders caught by surprise by a slave fighting for his country, The SOUTH.

There is much testament from Union solders caught by surprise by a slave fighting for his country, The SOUTH.

How could that be? Did the slave have citizenship? No, of course not. Therefore, it can't by definition be his country.

Statements like that are unbelievable. Just a cursory knowledge of the law of the land should prohibit one from even making that argument!

I don't doubt those facts, and they are certainly belong in any body of research on the subject. The significance of such facts may be subject to debate, though. What might be helpful is personal accounts of those volunteers (or conscripts, as the case may be) in the form of diaries or letters that indicated their motivations. Maybe being on the front line with a gun was preferable to being "back home" for one reason or another. Maybe the promise of freedom or some level of privilege in the Confederacy was another. And of course, there had to be a certain number of true believers, for whatever that's worth.

... Yes they were slaves but they did not have to fight. In fact for most of the war it was officially forbidden to arm the slaves. Most slaves in the front came as body servants to officers and enlisted white solders. There are more than a few accounts of the master running away while the "body servant" slave stayed and fought. They were free to return home when the master deserted but most chose to stay and serve. The article seems to imply the officers were behind arming the slaves and it is true for the people he cites but many officers did not approve, but the white enlisted men would cover for the Black slave who wanted to stay and fight. When the officer was around the slave would pretend to be about his business, cleaning weapons etc. but when the fighting started he would join his comrades.

If you have evidence of that, post it. Otherwise the more likely interpretation is that "cleaning weapons etc." was the slave's work, whether on not he on occasion picked up a gun.

There is much testament from Union solders caught by surprise by a slave fighting for his country, The SOUTH.

Again, if you have evidence of Union troops coming upon Blacks and being fired upon them, then post it. There are stories of Northerners taking navvys and sappers digging trenches for combat soldiers. That was a plausible mistake. There are also stories of Union troops being pinned down by snipers whom they took to be Black. The problem is that in the darkness and chaos and from a distance it would be hard to tell just what the race of a sniper was.