I noted that, after Vicksburg, he notes that many Confederate officers expected “to take their body servants with them” when they were paroled. Grant very sternly told the officers that as far as he was concerned “these men were now free”.

All of which suggests that on the Union side at least, “body servants” meant slaves, not soldiers. And it also suggests that the Confederates regarded the “body servants” as somewhat less than soldiers also. The relationship between officer and “servant” was definitely not the normal military one between an officer and his aide.

I think Mr. Ijames has plenty of evidence. That’s not his problem. His problem is that he doesn’t seem to understand how to interpret what he’s uncovered.

Don’t worry. I have better things to do with my time than monitor my favorite readers. I tend only to do it when I am trying to track “the crazies.”

I don’t think you are seeing the goalpost move as much as you are witnessing an overall failure to carefully distinguish between enslaved and free blacks. This is not the only example. You can also see it in the way that some refer to the “service” of specific personnel as well as the all-important distinction between what constitutes a soldier as opposed to some other support role. Welcome to the wonderful world of “black Confederates.”

I do the same on occasion. It keeps me entertained.