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A while back in a similar thread to this one, a poster brought up the 1st Louisiana Native Guard, a militia unit of about 1100 men which was formed in 1861 and composed mostly of free blacks. The Louisiana state government didn't outfit this unit and only allowed it to participate in military parades. However, the men of this militia managed to obtain uniforms and firearms at their own expense and stood ready to fight.
While Louisiana disbanded the 1st Lousiana Native Guard in 1862 without it ever being used it in battle, the fact remains that there were in 1861 a number of free blacks willing to fight on the side of the Confederacy, or at least willing to fight for the state of Louisiana.
I realized that I did not really provide any possible reasoning for a black man to fight for the CSA as the topic creator asked. I have thought of a few (I think) valid reasons although most would only have applied if the CSA had been willing to allow a large number of black soldiers to be recruited instead of a few early and late in the war who never saw action.
1. Fight for freedom. Suppose the states or the CSA federal government had been willing and able to offer freedom to any slaves who fought for it. This was unlikely to happen as history shows it did not happen, but it really offers very litte to slaves turned soldiers as it would keep them from voting after the war. Symbolically it was probably too much for most in the power circles in the the CSA, and when you realize that a large reason so many upper class Southerners were in the military was out of fear of a mass slave uprising teaching former slaves how to fight as a modern army would be almost unthinkable to many in the CSA.
A smaller version of this is if the CSA had simply allowed free black men to serve you might have seen individual slaveowners offering to free slaves who would join the army in much the same way some slaveowners would free slaves willing to move to Liberia.
2. Protect your home. I do not know the demographics, but given that the black population in the US outside the South was relatively small until the Great Migration of the 20s and 30s it would not surprise me to find there were more free blacks in the South than the North at the time of the Civil War. It might be that free blacks at least early in the war could look at both sides and decide a victorious CSA would provide a better place to live than a victorious USA. Both sides had slavery, but in the North the community of free blacks might well have been much smaller. In such a case perhaps free blacks would have fought for the CSA where they were a minority but less of a minority than in the USA.
3. Respect through valor. Primary sources tell us blacks throughout much of the history of the US have fought in hopes of gaining respect and equality for themselves and their race. It seems likely some free blacks in the CSA would have joined the army for this same reason had the opportunity presented itself.
State militias and state troops which never entered Confederate service were another issue. Georgia was noted for it's large number of state troops who never entered Confederate service and as such were almost useless to the Confederate war effort.
Interesting. Because we've all heard the story of the burning of Atlanta. Where were those state troops?
Interesting. Because we've all heard the story of the burning of Atlanta. Where were those state troops?
...and what about Sherman's virtually unopposed march through Georgia to the sea?
I do know that the governer of Georgia was very anti-Richmond. Likely it would have eventually left the confederacy on it's own if not for the war.
I am not sure of the numbers of Georgia state militia, but I do know that Gov. Brown would not allow much of his state militia to leave the state to fight. Leaving Atlanta was necessary because it was untennable, and the failure to meet up with Sherman may be because of the diversionary tactics of Sherman (or because Brown didn't have the force to oppose 60,000 veteran bluecoats).
Leaving Atlanta was necessary because it was untennable, and the failure to meet up with Sherman may be because of the diversionary tactics of Sherman (or because Brown didn't have the force to oppose 60,000 veteran bluecoats).
They did come out and fight Uncle Billy's profane westerners (a Catton phrase) once east of Atlanta and were handily whipped. No way those raw state troops could handle the veterans of Shiloh, Stones River, Vicksburg, Chattanooga......
Hell, the Army of Tennessee itself couldn't whip them, what were Brown's boys gonna do?
A while back in a similar thread to this one, a poster brought up the 1st Louisiana Native Guard, a militia unit of about 1100 men which was formed in 1861 and composed mostly of free blacks. The Louisiana state government didn't outfit this unit and only allowed it to participate in military parades. However, the men of this militia managed to obtain uniforms and firearms at their own expense and stood ready to fight.
While Louisiana disbanded the 1st Lousiana Native Guard in 1862 without it ever being used it in battle, the fact remains that there were in 1861 a number of free blacks willing to fight on the side of the Confederacy, or at least willing to fight for the state of Louisiana.
What utter nonsense!
The 1st Louisiana Native Guard was formed by Maj. Gen Benjamin F. Butler U.S. Army when he took control of New Orleans in September of 1862. The unit would indeed see combat at the siege of Port Hudson in May 1863.
The first would later be renamed the 73rd Regiment Infantry U.S. Colored Troops.
If indeed there were these thousands of blacks fighting for the Confederacy, they would have only been able to do so between March 13, 1865 when the Confederate Congress enacted legislation for just such a purpose and April of the same year when Lee surrendered. Hardly enough time in my estimation for any significant number of slaves to "volunteer," if any.
The 1st Louisiana Native Guard was formed by Maj. Gen Benjamin F. Butler U.S. Army when he took control of New Orleans in September of 1862. The unit would indeed see combat at the siege of Port Hudson in May 1863.
The first would later be renamed the 73rd Regiment Infantry U.S. Colored Troops.
Yep, most people try and avoid the fact that blacks fought for the south and were proud to do it.
Now I am truly confused since you quote me correcting another poster's false impression that the 1st Louisiana Native Guard was a Confederate unit, and now you post a link which does nothing to support your statement, "that blacks fought for the south and were proud to do it."
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