[Hacksaw]

If we're talking about the same program, "April 1865: The Month That Saved America" then I don't think either Walt and I will dispute it. The fact that in March 1865 the confederate congress passed legislation authorizing the raising of black combat troops is undisputable. What I dispute is the ridiculous claim that the confederate army enlisted blacks in combat roles throughout the war. The evidence against that is overwhelming. Any blacks with the confederate army prior to the spring of 1864 were there in an unauthorized, in fact illegal status. At that time the confederate congress passed legislation authorizing the enlistment of free blacks and slaves for support roles only.

Feh. Sounds like you are trying to qualify after the fact.

[Non-Sequitur]

Nonsense. I am fully aware of the fact that the confederate congress authorized black combat troops about 4 weeks before Lee surrendered. The interesting thing is that even then, even at the end of the road when they were the most desperate, the confederate congress couldn't bring itself to to anything that might threaten slavery. Those slaves were conscripted into the army and forced to fight for the confederacy and were promised nothing in return. They weren't paid, their masters were. And had the confederacy won the war then they would have been handed back to their owners.