click photo to enlarge
By MATT MAY, Staff
Posted on 04/18/2003 6:53:53 AM PDT by stainlessbanner
latest update: Friday, April 18, 2003 at 08:36 AM EDT
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click photo to enlarge By MATT MAY, Staff |
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By PETER GUINTA
Senior Writer
Most Civil War histories usually ignore the more than 70,000 African-Americans who served with Confederate armies.
People know little about them, but in 1861, noted black abolitionist Frederick Douglass said, "There are many colored men in the Confederate Army as real soldiers, having muskets on their shoulders, bullets in their pockets, ready to shoot down loyal troops and doing all that soldiers may do to destroy the Federal government."
Black soldiers' contributions to Union armies are already well known, popularized in Hollywood films such as "Glory" with Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman.
However, suggesting that Southern blacks fought and died for a government that condoned and supported slavery is politically incorrect nowadays.
Nonetheless, at least three black Confederate veterans are buried in San Lorenzo Cemetery on U.S. 1 -- three of only six documented in the state.
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 click photo to enlarge By MATT MAY, Staff |
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Their memories -- and the memories of 46 white Confederate soldiers who died during that war -- will be honored Saturday, when Nelson Wimbush of Orlando, grandson of a black soldier who rode with Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, speaks at 10 a.m. at the Plaza de la Constitucion.
Wimbush is coming to St. Augustine to mark an early observance of Confederate Memorial Day by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Gen. William Wing Loring Camp 1316, St. Augustine.
According to Jim Davis, a U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam and adjutant of the Loring chapter, the observance was moved from April 26, the anniversary of Gen. Joseph E. Johnson's surrender, to avoid conflict with Flagler College's graduation.
"After the speech, the names of all veterans listed on the Confederate Monument will be read aloud," Davis said.
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 click photo to enlarge Special to The Record |
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Loring, a veteran of the Seminole and Mexican wars, was raised in St. Augustine and accepted a commission in the Army of the Confederacy in 1862. His ashes are buried under a monument in the west Plaza, Cordova and King streets, raised in his honor in 1920 by the Anna Dummett Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy.
"All of our veterans ought to be honored for the sacrifices they gave," Davis said. "This is our way of honoring the sacrifices of our Confederate veterans."
After reading the names, participants will be invited to San Lorenzo Cemetery to place flags on the graves of the 160 Confederates -- black and white -- buried there.
John Masters of St. Augustine, a retired U.S. Army colonel with combat service in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, has documented 9,000 Confederate graves in Florida. Only six of them are black, he said, because most records of the time did not list race.
"Graves of black Confederate veterans are scarce as hen's teeth," he said.
Most black Confederates worked as cooks, drivers or musicians, but at least 18,000 served as combat troops, Masters said.
"Black people don't want to believe that, but it's true," he said. "Nobody wanted to be a slave, but this was their home and the North was an aggressor nation."
All St. Augustine black Confederates survived the war.
Osborn was born here in 1843, the son of freed slaves. He was 18 when he enlisted in 1861 as a musician in Capt. John Lott Phillips' Company B, 3rd Florida Infantry Regiment, called the St. Augustine Blues.
He served in St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach, Tallahassee, Mobile, Ala., and Chattanooga, Tenn., fighting in the Battle of Perryville.
He was discharged in 1862 after his one-year enlistment ended and due to his ill health. He died in 1907.
In St. Augustine National Cemetery is buried a Samuel L. Osborn Jr., private in Company D, 33rd U.S. Colored Troops, who died in 1890. Masters believes this may be Emanuel's brother.
Welters, who served in the same company as Osborn and Papino, was also known under other names, such as Anthony Wetters, Tony Fontane and Antonio Huertas. A former slave, he was born in 1810 and enlisted as a fifer in 1861, when he was 51 years old.
He participated in the battles of Perryville, Murfreesboro, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Atlanta, Franklin and Nashville.
Returning to St. Augustine, after the war, Welters lived at 79 Bridge St. and became active in politics and with the E. Kirby Smith Camp, United Confederate Veterans. He died in 1902 at 92 years old.
Only a few facts are available about Papino. He was born in 1813 and enlisted as a musician and mechanic in 1861 at 48 years old but was discharged in November 1862.
His burial place is not precisely known, but a stone in San Lorenzo stands near his comrades' graves in memorial of his service.
Many blacks who fought for the Confederacy drew pensions for their service after the war. Arkansas, the only state which identified these individuals by race, documented 278 blacks who received such pensions.
Masters said Confederate Gen. E. Kirby Smith, who was born and raised in St. Augustine, had a black orderly, Alex Darns. After the war, the general paid for his former orderly to attend medical school.
Darns later became a successful doctor in Jacksonville.
"St. Augustine was occupied by the Union in 1862," Masters said. "Smith's mother was a Confederate spy. She and someone else cut down the flag pole in front of the arsenal (now National Guard headquarters) so they couldn't fly the Union flag on it."
Sure, had you won. Just like the rest of the world joined France and Spain in recognizing the United States once they had won their independence. Everyone will back a winner and nobody, but nobody will back a loser. As the south found out.
This from the man who posts from Russian confederate websites and has been know to quote from Edgar Lee Masters?
also, i wouldn't agrue with your comment, especially since NOBODY recognized the 13 colonies until after Yorktown either.
free dixie,sw
That picture is available at many sites. I just happened to post from the first one. And so what if it's Russian? The Cold War is over and the last time I checked they currently exhibit more of a capitalistic society than the Empire has done in 40 years.
As for Masters, I would argue that support of the Confederacy by any level is to steer away from the Socialist line that Sandburg and McPherson have so readily picked up
No, I didn't find it worth commenting on. also, i wouldn't agrue with your comment, especially since NOBODY recognized the 13 colonies until after Yorktown either.
Argue away. France recognized the independence of the colonies and signed a treaty of alliance with them in Paris on February 6, 1778. It was, BTW, the last alliance the United States would sign for 171 years. The seige of Yorktown ended with the surrender of Cornwallis on October 19, 1781. Your accuracy us up to it's usual standards.
what year did France first send us an ambassador?
1782, wasn't it?
free dixie,sw
Just an odd choice for someone with your highly developed anti-socialist tendencies.
As for Masters, I would argue that support of the Confederacy by any level is to steer away from the Socialist line that Sandburg and McPherson have so readily picked up.
I'm sure his collegues on the All-America Anti-Imperialist League would disagree with that. After all, it was established by the Communist Workers Party.
Nope,,,Google search on Capt. Isaac Heysinger
Not odd at all,,I didn't read that one.
And you are??
Oh, but you'll take that material spewed by Asa Gordon as the written word of God then won't you? The argument could be said the same about your material from Mcpherson. That same article is on Asa's website. Even though it came from another source just as Heysinger's quote did. So does that mean I can dismiss it out of hand just because it's there as well? Or do I have to wait to dismiss it out of hand based on McPherson's political leanings
didn't know it was that early, though i surely knew Dr Franklin was there during the revolution. was he ACTUALLY our ambassador then or just an envoy?
source?
free dixie,sw
FRee dixie,sw
Check your sources better next time.
This piece of text from --Dr. Steiner-- is all over google.
Walt
Walt
Walt
Oh, but you'll take that material spewed by Asa Gordon as the written word of God then won't you?
Show that Asa Gordon's sources are as bogus as Stand Waite and SCDogPapa's; then get back to me.
Walt
Nope. It's in the same file I use with the statement of the rebel congressman who said that white soldiers would refuse to bivouac with blacks, and the one where Howell Cobb said that blacks lacked every qualification to be soldiers.
You neo-rebs don't like to consider the primary sources, but there it is. And when professional award winning scholars use them, you make personal attacks on those professionals.
It's pitiful, really.
Walt
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