[r9etb]

OTOH, when you have Lee and Davis in 1865(!), still considering and arguing about whether or not to form black units, it's not possible to conclude anything other than that black Confederate soldiers were a very rare exception.

And note, BTW, that Levi was not a soldier at all, but instead a loyal servant.

[varina davis]

And note, BTW, that Levi was not a soldier at all, but instead a loyal servant.

You're parsing words. The term "Soldier" during the War for Southern Independence was not always the same definition we give to the title nowadays.

Many loyal blacks were more than ready to take up the banner if those they served fell in battle.

[docmcb]

And note, BTW, that Levi was not a soldier at all, but instead a loyal servant.

Hmmm. We're into semantics here. Levi Miller was with Lee's army throughout the war except when nursing a wounded officer. He might very well have worn a uniform and carried a weapon, probably a pistol or such. When he ran across the open field bringing rations to Captain Anderson the Federal sharpshooters fired on him, which suggests that he LOOKED like a Confederate soldier -- and he was evidently risking his life like one. Surely a cook or a truck driver is a soldier, even if he's not a rifleman or tank driver. And while Levi's enrollment in his company after fighting with them at Spotsylvania is certainly unusual, I think he was probably fairly typical as a body servant -- and there were thousands of those, beyond any doubt.