Synopses & Reviews
One of the lost chapters of Civil War history has been thepassive and even active support that many Southern blacks, free and slave, gave to the Confederacy. Black Confederates] illuminatesthe overlooked facet of this seemingly contradictory behavior by a groupof African-Americans who appear to have thought of themselves asSoutherners first and blacks second.--William C. Davis, author of A Government of Their Own: The Making of theConfederacyNeither Confederate history nor black studies can afford to ignore theefforts of black Americans on the side of the Confederacy, as thisseemingly contradictory behavior reveals and underscores the terriblecomplexity of the War Between the States. To quote Edward Smith, Dean ofMinority Affairs in the August, 1991 edition of The Civil War News: To admit that blacks actually fought for a cause which in the mindsof many 20 th century Americans now stands exclusively forslavery and oppression is unacceptable to many in the country concernedwith only politics and not with the historical record.This volume reflects an effort to restore some accuracy to thehistorical record with regard to black soldiers who fought for theConfederacy. Through correspondence, military records, narrativereminiscences, and newspaper accounts from these brave men who served whatthey considered their country, we hope to discover not only thatthey did fight, but also how they fought to restore honor to the fallenamong them.
Synopsis
Contains correspondence, military records, and reminiscences from brave men who served what they considered their country.
Table of Contents
Prologue: Black southerners in gray? -- Black loyalty under the Confederacy -- Selected correspondence -- The Black Confederates -- Confederate military records -- A tribute to loyal Confederates -- Memorials, markers, & tributes -- Aged body servants among the last survivors of the Confederate Army -- Newspaper accounts -- The forgotten Confederates -- Obituaries & biographical sketches -- South Carolina's Black Confederates -- Confederate pension applications -- U.C.V. camp records & reunions -- Veterans' reminiscences & narratives -- Epilogue: Facing the reality of Southern history -- Sources for the study of Black Confederates.