Black Confederates Uncovered

It looks like an elite unit of black Confederate soldiers was indeed trained during the war.  Enjoy.  In all seriousness, if you want to follow a very interesting line of inquiry that may result in a legitimate black Confederate soldier I urge you to check out this discussion thread.  Kate Holleron is researching her great-great grandfather, who served in the 26th Tennessee Infantry.  This is how serious research is done and I couldn’t be happier that this blog is assisting Kate in the research process.

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16 comments… add one
  • Will Hickox Nov 18, 2010 @ 18:53

    Unfortunately, some supporters of the black Confederates myth have little interest in honest discussion. I tried to address some of the silly claims made in this column: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/civil-war/2010/oct/21/black-confederates-old-argument-surfaces/, but my reply was promptly deleted. (Columnist with hands over her ears: “La la la I am not listening…!”)

    • Andy Hall Nov 19, 2010 @ 6:24

      Heh. I made the mistake of trying to dig in to the comments at the Macon.com story, and present detailed and specific counters to the other commenters there. The responses were exactly what I should have expected — outright dismissal (“what BS!” “Yawn!”), deflections (Northerners owned slaves too, black Union troops served in segregated units, the “real” reasons for secession), speculation about my true motive (liberal racism, naturally), and just plain bizarre — one person made at least four separate references to the ball cap in my avatar.

      Oh, and it was suggested — twice — that perhaps I was a Holocaust denier, too.

      There’s no place for discussion with folks who won’t discuss the merits, who dismiss out-of-hand evidence you bring to the table, and won’t acknowledge the limitations of their own, all the while tossing out personal insults. “Epistemic closure” doesn’t even begin to describe the vitriol; it’s so over-the-top, it’s almost funny, and you gotta take it with a sense of humor.

      • Kevin Levin Nov 19, 2010 @ 6:33

        I noticed that as well. I’ve pretty much stopped commenting on other sites unless I know the adminstrator. It’s just not worth the time.

      • John Maass Nov 19, 2010 @ 6:54

        Andy–the bright side is that at least a southern paper ran an opinion piece that gets it right. That is at least a small victory for the search for truth. JM

  • Jonathan Dresner Nov 17, 2010 @ 6:45

    Shirley Temple-Black ended up a conservative Republican. This explains a lot.

    • John Maass Nov 19, 2010 @ 7:04

      This kind of inaccurate sweeping generalization adds nothing to the debate.

      • Jonathan Dresner Nov 20, 2010 @ 14:41

        I get accused of humorlessness sometimes, but when I try to be a little funny…. You don’t seriously think I was suggesting that she ended up a conservative Republican – which is true – because she played a Confederate when she was 4? I do, however, think the overlap between the conservative Republican movement and the old Confederacy is fascinating. How is that not worth discussing?

  • John Maass Nov 17, 2010 @ 4:33

    Looks like someone in Macon, GA gets it when it comes to “black Confederates.”
    http://www.macon.com/2010/11/17/1343580/history-does-not-show-blacks-fighting.html

    • Andy Hall Nov 17, 2010 @ 5:37

      And he’s getting angry, spittle-flecked pushback, too.

      • Kevin Levin Nov 17, 2010 @ 5:41

        The responses inevitably conform to the same tired loop.

        • Emilio V. Nov 17, 2010 @ 6:39

          How depressing.

      • John Maass Nov 19, 2010 @ 7:04

        I like the reply from James W. King, Commander Camp 141 of the SCV, who writes a looooong post on the 10 causes of the “War of Northern Aggression.” (His words) Of the 10, slavery comes in at 9! According to King th e#1 reason why 620,000 men dies during the war from battle, disease, etc., was….the tariff! Hmmmmm…..

        • Kevin Levin Nov 19, 2010 @ 7:09

          Tell mom I died for the tariff. 😀

          • John Maass Nov 19, 2010 @ 7:13

            Ha! “Rally ’round the flag, boys…the price of sugar’s too high!”

            • Bob Huddleston Nov 19, 2010 @ 7:38

              :>) And sugar was too high because — Louisiana sugar producers insisted on a high tariff!

        • Andy Hall Nov 19, 2010 @ 7:19

          Of the 10, slavery comes in at 9!

          But, he points out, it was only a cause of the war “indirectly.” My personal favorite is his No. 3, “Christianity vs. Secular Humanism.”

          Remember, we’re the ones guilty of “presentism.’

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