29 October 2010

The Black Confederate Soldier Fantasy

When Dick Stanley, an (inactive) member of Sons of Confederate Veterans tells it, one should listen up.

Posted by SnoopyTheGoon at 29.10.10

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6 comments:

jams o donnell said...

History is littered with people working in utterly unexpected ways but I can't see the Confederates using black troops in any combat (or non combar role) outside of a Harry Turtledove novel.

Unless of course you want to wear down your enemy's ammunition supplies before the white soldiers attack....

2:19 PM, October 29, 2010
SnoopyTheGoon said...

Yeah, I have full confidence in Dick's diagnosis on the subject: fantasy. Or BS, one can say...

5:43 PM, October 29, 2010
Dick Stanley said...

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Twenty years ago, heck, even ten years ago, nobody interested in the war was talking about this. I'd never even heard of the idea after fifty years of reading various histories about the war (something Southerns are prone to do). Jams is right about the unexpected showing up all the time, but this one goes against the grain---which was the slaveholders doctrine that black slaves were inferior to whites. No way they would be armed.

There was a militia unit in New Orleans composed of free blacks (mulattos, actually, as the old racial term went for mixed race) who volunteered to fight in 1861, but they were turned down by the Confederate authorities. Otherwise, this issue is completely out of left field (so to speak) and seems to be no more than a reaction to contemporary condemnation of the Rebs as fighting for slavery, as opposed to independence. I'm still on the side of independence, but it's no longer PC and is fast becoming a minority position among historians.

8:50 PM, October 29, 2010
David All said...

Dick, thanks for your post and thanks, Snoopy for linking to it. Have commented extensively about this on Dick's blog.     

The free black militia unit in New Orleans in 1861 were the descendants of the free black battalions that fought under Andrew Jackson against the British in 1815. After the Union captured New Orleans in 1862, the Union Commander, General Benjamin Butler enlisted the black militia unit and other free blacks (mulatoos) from New Orleans in what became the First, Second and Third regiments of the Louisana Native Guard. Believe these were the first black troops enrolled in the Union Army, before it had been decided to enlist escaped black slaves as soldiers.   

Snoopy, just want to mention that information about the role of Jewish-Americans on both sides of the Civil War can be found at http://www.jewish-history.com/civilwar/default.htm
October is Daniel Pearl World Music Days with more than 1,000 events in 60 countries. This article about one very beautiful event at the high school named after him. Read "Students hit the right note in tribute to slain journalist" at http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_16410959  

6:05 AM, October 30, 2010
SnoopyTheGoon said...

Makes sense, that New Orleans story.

10:29 AM, October 30, 2010
SnoopyTheGoon said...

Thanks for the info, David.

10:34 AM, October 30, 2010

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