For my article about some REAL colored Confederate soldiers, see North & South magazine, June 2009, pages 58-60.

Very funny, Tom, but unfortunately there are plenty of people out there who will now cite this as evidence for black Confederate soldiers.

Thanks for the reference. Unfortunately, without any additional information there isn’t much that one can do with this short snippet.

I came across this entry and thought some of your readers might be interested.

March 4 [1862], Tuesday
A part of General Sumner’s division made an advance today. Some of the pickets stationed about 3/4 mile on our left of the railroad were fired on today by an old Negro, but they were too quick for him and he was shot through the heart and otherwise badly mangled. He lies there about half buried. I went on guard duty from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Caynor, William L. Sr., ed. Without a Scratch: Diary of Corporal William Homes Morse Color Bearer of the 5th Maine Infantry. N.p.: 2007. (ISBN 978-1-56837-406-2)

Ed

Thanks for the comment. I couldn’t agree more that slaves deserve to be recognized for their experiences. As you well know historians have only in the last few decades seriously considered their history and experiences beyond the narrowness and racism of the Lost Cause.

My problem with your involvement in the Weary Clyburn commemoration was that his identity as a slave was obscured by the Sons of Confederate Veterans who chose to acknowledge him for some military role. You of all people should know that this is a distortion and as a historian it was your responsibility to correct them.

Finally, when are you going to get around to addressing the case of Pvt. Venable that you threw in my face? Supposedly this is a real black Confederate soldiers. Don’t you want to defend your reputation?

Kevin is correct in saying that slaves were not “soldiers”. Heck, slaves were not even counted in the census. Remember, they were “property”, only 3/5 human… so why would one expect to see them listed on a muster roll.

The enslaved population in the South has rarely been credited with doing anything, much less partaking in the “Glory” of the War.

Earl L. Ijames, Curator
North Carolina Museum of History
5 East Edenton Street
Raleigh, N. C. 27601-1101
(tel) 919.807.7961
(fax) 919.715.6628
earl.ijames@ncdcr.gov

Thanks for the comment, though there is no need that I will “flippantly dismiss” anything unless it deserves to be. Yes, there were a small number of black slaveowners in South Carolina as well as elsewhere. Not enough has been done in terms of research, but I assume since you mentioned S.C. that you are aware of Larry Koger’s _Black Slaveowners_ (University of South Carolina Press) http://www.amazon.com/Black-Slaveowners-Masters-Carolina-1790-1860/dp/1570030375/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243543051&sr=8-1

As for whether any served in the Confederate army you are going to have to get your hands dirty in the archives. Your distinction between slaves and draftees makes little sense. Draftees served as soldiers in the army and deserve to be recognized as such. A slave was not soldiers. The citizen soldier is a function of an obligation in a free society.

I would be curious to know what your response would be to the existence of black slaveowners. There were a surprising number of blacks who owned slaves, particularly in Charleston SC and in New Orleans. Would they not have fought to defend the peculiar institution as well? As for other Confederate Blacks, Kevin Levin would flippantly dismiss their service “because they were slaves.” Even if that statement were true, is that reason enough to ignore their legacy? How many white soldiers on both the Union and Confederate sides were drafted and forced to fight as well? Should we forget about their service too?