More Lost Cause garbage.
A few, a very few black Confederates fought for the South. Something on the order of a few hundred, maybe 3 to 500. No where near the tens of thousands (and even up to 80,000 - Ha!) the Lost Causers like to push.
On your silly cite:
Many, many Historians with no 'south/north' agenda other than honesty to the facts and documentation available, have concluded the evidence just does not exist to support this recently touted meme of Black Confederates soldiers.
Steiner, the
Civilian who worked for the US Sanitary Commission (a private relief agency) is also noted in the piece you offered. His report has blaring inconsistencies, and is not backed up by contemporary sources, and any devoted CW historian knows this. They also know part of what the private relief agency did was print war propaganda. Amazing, huh? That people utilized war propaganda to build sympathy and support for the war. Blows a mind, eh?
Do Lost Causers acknowledge this about Steiner? No. Because that would upset their applecart of Southern devotion.
Answer me this REB: What was the one thing Southern slaveholders feared the most?
You know the answer. A slave uprising. John Brown shook those fears heartily. Talk of it ruled the day. The slave revolts in the Caribbean were still fresh on their minds.
They were petrified of slaves getting enough courage to break their chains and leave for the natural state of man:
an aching desire for freedom.
Now pretend you're a slaveowner -
do you give your slaves guns? Hell no you don't.
They thought it, in their words, a "suicidal policy."
That's why the confederacy forbade it.
"Our position with the North and before the world will not allow the employment as armed soldiers of negroes."
CSA Secretary of War James A. SeddonLINK: The War of the Rebellion: a compilation of the official records
...and why they were arguing as late as 1865 - near the very, very end - if they should allow
the negroes to fight. This is a matter of record.
It was only when the south was beat to a bloody pulp, with not much more to lose, they considered doing so. And even then many would not hear of it. Even then.
So take your Lost Cause Jarbage and stuff it in your rebel cap while you march around whistling Dixie pretending you know dick all about it.