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To: Non-Sequitur
Even if we accept your 180,000 figure as true, then if 94,000 were former slaves from the south then yes, it is true that the majority of black Union soldiers were runaway slaves. Why do you suppose that they didn't join the confederate army?

According to your own numbers there were 4.5 million slaves in the South!! And even accepting your number only 90,000 fought for the north? And reread that page. Those folks were in occupied Southern territory meaning they didn't escape north, the northern invaders came to them. Then not even to free them but to maintain status quo and 'hey while you're at it fight for us and we'll feed you since we've about burned or destroyed everything else around here'. What do you think the other 4,410,000 or so were doing? They couldn't have all stayed at home. No, because just as many blacks were fighting or supporting the South in one form or another.

As for the 180,000 number, it's not mine, it's the city of Alexandria VA with a big ol' picture of Frederick Douglas. You think it would pass the Asa Gordon test? I don't even know that it's true, but I figured hey if this government authority puts up a picture of Douglass not even recognizing his own statement about the blacks fighting for the South, it has to be liberal enough for y'all to accept it

129 posted on 07/02/2002 11:25:45 AM PDT by billbears
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To: billbears
No, because just as many blacks were fighting or supporting the South in one form or another.

Oh come on, billbears, now you're starting to sound like stande watie. Sure the south dragged a lot of black labor around with them, and sure a percentage of that labor was there because they wanted to be. But the idea of hundreds of thousands of black soldiers is ridicuolous and always has been. It would have been out of character for the southern leadership to have supported the concept.

133 posted on 07/02/2002 11:31:22 AM PDT by Non-Sequitur
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