Thank you so much for doing this AMA with us. Searching for Black Confederates was one of the most insightful books I've read of recent, and I could pick your brain about it for awhile, but I'll try not to overwhelm and keep it to a few.

One of the most interesting points was your discussion of Douglass and his willingness to uncritically peddle reports of entire units of black men under arms for the traitors, and within that, John Parker seems to jump out the most. What do you make of his entire testimony? I stands out as quite interesting to me because even if taken entirely uncritically it only can speak to a handful of men forced under gunpoint to assist in battery operation, and thus really doesn't support Douglass all that well even given full credence, but given the context in which Douglass used his recollections, it seems hard to even give that small incident our full credulity.

Looking more modern, what do you feel motivates scholars like Henry Louis Gates to peddle the Black Confederate myth? To be frank, I was quite taken aback to discover his involvement in its continued existence, and it kind of soured me on his other scholarship given how cursory, at best, his research on this seems to be.

Finally, and this goes way back, your old article "William Mahone, the Lost Cause, and Civil War History" got on my radar way back due to its touching on that topic near and dear to me, dueling, but I also blame you and James T. Moore for garnering an enduring interest in the Readjusters in Virginia. An historical counterfactual that has always been a bee in my bonnet since is whether or not the Readjusters could have stayed in power and kept the Redeemers at bay, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Was the Danville Riots merely the straw that quickened their inevitable loss of power, or would they have been able to better solidify their hold and prevent the turn to apartheid if they had won the 1883 state elections?

Related... I know you've written in the past on your blog that a book-length treatment of Mahone is not on the horizon, and assuming my abject begging won't make you reconsider, do you happen to have any recommendations on recent scholarship to look into at least?

Hi! Thank you for answering our questions. This might be out of scope slightly, but you mention that African-American slaves were used as force labor in the Confederate Army, did the Confederate Navy also use slaves for forced labor?

Did any of the officers' slaves try to assassinate them? Were there any uprisings?

Who did the slaves belong to? Where they the property of the Confederate Army itself, or were they on loan from wealthy slaveowners?

Hi Kevin,

I've read in McPherson's Embattled Rebel that some Confederate generals, such as Patrick Cleburne, made suggestions in late 1863/early 1864 to start recruiting black soldiers for the CSA, but no one took it seriously and there were attempts to suppress it. Would he be the first prominent Confederate to put together a plan for the CSA to use black soldiers?

Hi Kevin, quick theoretical pedagogy question for you. As a teacher, which do you think is more important: teaching students that black confederates were a myth, or teaching students the skills to research for themselves whether black confederates were a myth? And have you read Sam Wineburg’s work on that question?

Hello Kevin!

I think what you are doing is really great.

I have 2 questions.

1. Do you think there should be a shift in how we teach this in schools, with a devoted focus on the African Americans role in the Civil War, especially as it relates to the Confederacy?

2. Do you wish your middle name started with an E so everyone could call you Kevin Eleven?

What have you found to be the most outrageous claim you've come across when researching this subject? Something that made you get up from the desk and take a walk just to deal with the sheer audacity of the claim?

Who were the key actors in the '70s that promoted the myth of the willing black confederate soldier, and who was the intended audience of the myth?

Hi Kevin,

Thank you for writing this. After I heard you on Civil War Talk Radio I instantly used my monthly Audible credit on it. I am curious about what the reaction to your book has been. I know some people who ascribe the Lost Cause are both very vocal and very entrenched in their views. Have you had to deal with any of these people in person or online? Does the still sensitive nature of the topic cause you to approach presenting it any differently?

What primary sources did you use to establish the myth?

Did journals and diaries play a roll in your primary source collection?

Back when I was an edgy 13 year old, I read a book called "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Confederacy" (I know...I was 13...)

It was filled with stories of black soldiers, but what stuck out to me was a claim that the first union officer killed during the war was killed by a slave defending his master's homestead.

I no longer have to book, but do you know of this story and how it might have originated?

I've suggested we replace Confederate statues with ones of Southern Unionists. People from the south that fought to keep the country whole. This would give southern communities memorials to local heroes from the Civil War instead of traitors.

What are your thoughts on memorials to Southern Unionists? Are there any individuals you think should deserve more praise than they get?

Edit: typo

1: Theoretically, if I was a well-off free black person (with...interesting views) and decided I wanted to join the Confederate army proper, would this have been possible?

How would I have been treat?

Away from the military would I have seen my situation worsen in the course of the war due to my race?

2: In terms of black labourers in the Confederate army quite how bad was their treatment? Are we talking unequal but broadly decent like various Asian labourers during the World Wars or full slavery at its worst horror?

What would have happened to a slave of a Confederate soldier immediately after surrender/capture? Would they have been absorbed into the Union Army, given any sort of benefit/assistance, just set free and told to figure it out on their own...?

Does the belief of Black Confederate soldiers permeate equally in the Southern states or are there specific regions where it is more prominent?

It sounds like you are doing some thinking about the proliferation of false narratives via the internet.

I'm curious about your thoughts about using an online platform to do an AMA. Does your thinking and research about the modern proliferation of these ideas inform how you engage with a media platform like Reddit? What lessons do you take about how we should responsibly engage on anonymous platforms like Reddit (I realize this AMA isn't exactly an anonymous exercise).

Why do you think that the US government allowed the south to basically rewrite history as a noble lost cause? It's usually the Victor that writes history but there are statues of Confederate generals in Union states (even Washington).

Correct me if I'm wrong, please, but I believe that the former Confederate States paid pensions to some ex-Confederate soldiers or otherwise provided benefits at taxpayer expense - if so, are there any records of anything like that being paid to any Black ex-Confederate soldiers?

[on edit]

I would expect that no such records exist and that this might be a good question to put to those who claim that there were Black Confederate soldiers.

I have 2 questions:

1. It seems like working as enslaved people during the war would present the workers with many opportunities to communicate that wouldn't be possible in their previous circumstances. Were they able to use these circumstances to spread information?
2. I am interested that this rumor started in the 1970's instead of in the times of The Lost Cause. Was it present there and not just as prominent, or was it something that started later? Why do you think that is?

Can I ask a slightly off topic question and maybe you can point me in the right direction? I do not have any knowledge other than a general knowledge of the civil war but I'm from the south and have a question that just keeps coming to me when the topic is brought up or when I see a Confederate flag. How did rich plantation owners convince the poor white men to die for their access to slave labor, which likely kept poor families poor?

Thanks for doing this! And thanks for researching and publishing on this specific topic.

My question is a little different... I’m an archivist at a state archives in a former confederate state. For my master’s thesis in grad school, I wrote about Varina Davis’s battles and disagreements with new wave Lost Cause orgs like the UDC (the only reason I mention this is to say that I’m very familiar with Lost Cause ideology and its development over time). In reference duties, we often come into contact with patrons, both white and black, that have completely bought in to the Black Confederates myth (as well as all other Lost Cause intricacies, unfortunately!)

As a reference archivist, I’m not at liberty to tell people outright that they’re wrong... any advice for how to broach this topic and inform laypeople?? Thanks!!

Heard you interviewed on CBC, your book is my reading list now. Not Anerican, but interesting topic.

This sounds like an interesting topic that I wish I knew enough to ask an informed question. If this is too general or missed the point feel free to ignore.

What's the most surprising thing you have learned through your research? Anything you did not expect to be true?

Are there any documented interactions between slaves in Confederate armies and black troops (USCTs, volunteer regiments, etc.)?

Hello, what an interesting subject.

Did any of the slaves or free persons tried to either smuggle people to freedom or revolt since they had close access to firearms?

Dr. Levin, first of all, huge fan. Love your work. Especially on Twitter.
My question, as a fellow historian (though much younger and less experienced), is about how we as historians can better reconnect the public with what we as historians do. This longstanding discussion in the historical community about the esoterica that commonly comes out of history academia has had a major component that deals with the necessity of nuance, as I am sure you know. You are one of the better known historians online, and you do a really amazing job with relaying important historical concepts to non-historians and the general public. As such, what are your feelings/comments/suggestions about the discussion on how to communicate historical concepts to the public, i.e. some say you need the nuance to appropriately/accurately/respectfully communicate history (but that this makes the material inaccessible to many audiences and people), while others argue that you need to simplify for non-historians to be able to sufficiently understand the complexities (but that this opens up room for misinterpretation or oversimplification or simply misunderstanding). Your thoughts?

P.S. If you have the time, I would also be quite interested to hear what you think about the state of the humanities in higher ed at the moment. The job market for the humanities (particularly historians) and public perception of the humanities both seem to be in rough shape. Do you think there is still this ongoing "culture war" occurring in academia? If so, what kind of things are you, as an academic, experiencing?

Thank you so much for your work and this AMA.

Thanks for doing this!

In the blurb above you note "(the 1970s) a period that witnessed both a significant shift in how Americans remembered the Civil War"...can you explain this shift? How was the Civil War viewed prior to the 70s and what changed?

First off, thank you for doing this AMA! I know that towards the end of the war, the Confederate Congress desperately approved the formation of Black regiments as a last ditch effort to survive against the Union Army. What made they think the Black soldiers would remain loyal to their side instead of simply escaping? Of course, I'm aware that Confederate leaders did raise this point and offered freedom to the soldiers and their families in exchange of service. But the young men who would presumably make the bulk of the Black regiments would probably be single, and then escaping to the Union lines would give them freedom without having to fight for their oppressors. Did the Confederates plan to recruit only men with families and use their relatives to hold the soldiers in line? Or did they expect the Black soldiers to be loyal out of some sense of patriotism or duty?

As a prospective teacher myself I was curious to know how you tackle some of the more stubborn students who have fallen for the lost cause narrative and often use black soldiers in the CSA as a point for downplaying slavery as a root cause for the war?

Hi Kevin,

This may not be quite to your area of expertise but what's your opinion on books like "Time on the Cross" by Fogel and Engermann that attempt to reexamine or rehabilitate slavery as a socio-economic system and has it come into your work?

Does your book mention the 1st Louisiana Native Guard? Does it not actually consist of freed black men? Or is it not considered part of the army cause it was part of a militia? I remember it being counted as an example of black confederates back when i was in college.

Hi, thank you so much for answering our questions, your book sounds incredibly interesting and I can't to read it. I have two (rather long) questions:

1.) I have often heard of the 1st Louisiana Native Guard put forth as an example of black soldiers in the Confederate Army, although if I recall correctly it was a state militia regiment made up of free people of color, and was fairly quickly disbanded by confederate authorities. Did such a unit exist or was its existence exacerbated by those who propagate the myth of black confederates? If such a unit existed, what would be the motivation of these men?

2.) The second one may be somewhat outside the scope of your research, but it is well known that especially early in the war most individual Union soliders were not staunch abolitionists, and much of the officer corps was made up of men from wealthy or elite families. Hypothetically could a Union officer who owned slaves bring them with him as personal servants in the same capacity as Southern officers, and are there any examples of this that you know of?

Thank you so much in advance!

While the number of fighting black Confederates are clearly overstated, what do we make of contemporary claims from the Union side that a small number of armed black troops were found in the ranks of the Confederacy? Specifically, there were multiple reports that Union troops took effective sniper fire from sharpshooters who turned out to be black (indeed, I believe one of the earliest incidents of CSA sniper employment was reported by Union troops to have been from a black sniper positioned from a chimney who wrought havoc on the Union lines), and Frederick Douglass' dismayed admission that blacks were found fighting for the CSA during the 1st Battle of Bull Run?

No question, just a heartfelt thanks for your work. The people behind the historical events or beliefs have always appealed to me. I'm a purely amateur lover of history and very much appreciate a well researched, insightful, and fascinating read.

Edit: word choice

Thank you having this AMA. Will be looking into your work as it has become highly relevant to my current endeavors. I am going to be running for office vs a notorious SCV member here in Georgia who has spent several sessions of the Ga Legislature promoting his views. I am hoping to get a chance to debate and just from this AMA i feel like I have a good options to rebut nonsense about black confederate soldiers (the point that it was discussed by the CSA at the very tail end of the war seems to make clear it was not normal procedure before that point).

I bought your book on audible! I cannot wait to give it a listen! I adore listening to these topics.

I used to work with someone who was deeply involved with a Trump scandal in 2016. The guy is insane.

During one business meeting, he claimed that not only was General Lee against slavery, but he never owned any slaves. I immediately went to Google and fact-checked him. Despite multiple sources, the man went away thinking I was incorrect and continued spreading misinformation.

Thank you for creating this book. They are truly invaluable for people like me.

Can you explain the rise of the use of the “War of Northern Aggression”? Are the people propagating the myth about the black confederates also the ones pushing for the use of this term?

Looking forward to adding your book to my perpetually growing stack of To Be Read's. I'm a big fan of Lincoln as a lawyer & politician & have often wondered whether and how Reconstruction as we know it would have been different had he not been assassinated & what impact that might have had on race relations in America today. I've seen some arguement that the SCV and UDC were regarded by some in the late 1800's as a necessary evil to keep the country together & prevent a perpetual civil war /guerilla resistance, by channeling the ex-Confederates' anger at the social upheaval imposed during & after the war into something other than a continuation of the war. Are you familiar with that line of theory & if so, what are your thoughts about it?

I read somewhere that the labour of Free African-Americans was appropriated by the military (I didn't find the correct word for that), and that this was under the same laws that slave labour was appropriated. Is this true?

I wish I had an insightful question to ask, but instead I’ll just say thank you for the time and research you’re doing. Simply reading these questions and your responses has prompted me to purchase your book. So, from a fellow writer - thank you :)

Hey Kevin! Relatively speaking, the Civil War is a period rich in primary sources. I wonder if you’ve thought at all about the challenges future historians will have dealing with the abundance and complexity of source materials being generated now at any given moment when they try to understand our present.

Is there any evidence for black Confederates in the far western theatre?

What organizations or individuals are currently spreading this myth of the black Confederate? What is the best way to combat this misinformation?

You linked in another comment to a blog post from a few years ago which itself linked to your book proposal. Is this how a non-fiction book begins? Did you write the proposal and pitch it to literary agents or publishers?

I've seen in other AMAs some comments on publication by fiction writers but I don't think I've ever heard from a non-fiction writer. Curious to hear about the process from idea to publication.

Throughout your responses you mention an "evolving Civil War memory that now emphasized slavery, emancipation, and the service of United States Colored Troops". What memory was it evolving from?

I hope it's alright to ask a question about another topic you've published on: The Battle of the Crater

Do you have any insight into what Gen. Meade was thinking when he swapped out Ferrero's black division for Ledlie's white one?

My only reading on the matter has been Shelby Foote, who put forward the idea that Meade was afraid of the political blowback of throwing black soldiers into a meat grinder. But Ferrero's men were assigned to the attack for a month - surely this occurred to Meade sometime earlier than the last minute? What in the world happened?

During your research what the most shocking thing you discovered about the civil war?

Hi - I've occasionally heard the claim that many slaves were owned by freed blacks. This is sort of adjacent to your area of expertise, but can you comment on this idea?

My understanding is that when this did occur (which was rarely), it was largely due to freed blacks needing to "buy" their relatives out of bondage.

Thanks for this doing this AMA!

Is there any record of southern slaves reacting to the CSA's Joint Resolution on Retaliation, or ensuing events like the Fort Pillow Massacre?

And if you have time, did Confederate correspondence at that time reflect the myth of the "loyal slave?" That is, did any soldiers or officers refer to the body servants and slaves impressed into infrastructure building in their letters as evidence that slavery was a moral system that suited black people?

there was a question below, "Throughout your responses you mention an "evolving Civil War memory that now emphasized slavery, emancipation, and the service of United States Colored Troops". What memory was it evolving from?" that i also had.

the reason i had this question is that my dad was a civil war historian and we spent my childhood traveling to battlefields in and around va. he collected so many books that we had a whole wall to display them, well over five hundred. the thing is, he died in '87 and we donated the books to the local library. he always told me the civil war was about states rights, not slavery, and i agreed since he had done so much research, most of it involving primary sources and i even read some but most were boring to a teenager.

since he isn't around to ask, was he wrong?

I enjoy your work on twitter! I was wondering: in battles when Union Forces decisively best Confederate forces, what was done with the enslaved workforce/were they freed after the battle?

Thanks for all the information you have provided so far. I'm curious if there was any sort of, not rebellion but maybe complete unwillingness with slaves to help with southern production for the war effort. Examples such as uniforms, firearm assembly, or metal casting.

Were these slaves put in units indiscriminately or were they only used in certain regions? I wonder for example if Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had them because they obviously pushed into Northern Territory, an area less hostile to slaves, potentially making desertion a more viable option than in the south.

What do you think about this? I sent it to my history professor and he simply took note of it and found it interesting, but this forum attempted to find documentation. Granted a few 100 specific data points don't necessarily give you the best picture.

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/counting-the-confederate-service-records-of-black-and-mulatto-men.142783/

It seems to initially run counter the the orthodox narrative, although that does not inherently make it wrong. Its still possible to integrate the data in the thread into the orthodox narrative. I'd argue the data listed there is only a tiny minority since there was no real rush to formalize the status of slaves. The methodology seems strict, and that plays into the results, and does skew the data to me at least. How legitimate is it? In order to avoid trolls, you do need to create an account to see the individual entries, so I apologize in advance.

Does your name rhyme, or is it pronounced Levín?

In the movie Gods and Generals Stonewall Jackson has a free black servant. In one scene Jackson asks him why he continues to be his servant and doesn’t flee north, the servant replies something along the lines of “I don’t condone slavery, but I consider myself a loyal Virginian”. Is there any historical basis for this attitude among free or enslaved black people in the southern states?

Thank you for doing this work. How do you address people who oppose you?

So what were the chances of these black labourers being killed? (Ik it's stupid)

By what metric is this "The Civil War's Most Persistent Myth?"

Hello ,I am not American but I once talked with a dude on discord server who claimed the reason why in Texas there were (more) black people that supported the Confederate because there weren't cotton field in Texas and they were granted more freedom, how much truth is in that statement ?

My wife has found documentation that her black ancestors were part of the confederate. Not soldiers, but freed to man a lighthouse for the south.

Does part of your research involve people who were a part of the confederate but not on the front line?

Do we have any good numbers for how many used the turmoil of the war to escape? For that matter, what did the Underground Railroad do during the war?

Several underground railroad sites were demolished throughout the 90s and 00s in New England to make way for new land developments. The owners did not have the money to register on state or national preservation lists. Communities that serviced and watched over theses sites are likely still around, carrying important oral histories.

Are you speaking with these families and communities? How is that going?

I first encountered the question of “ Black Confederates” in a source that had an obvious Conservative, Confederate apologist, anti-civil rights agenda. That particular source made the claim that many Afro -Americans, both free and enslaved, willing enlisted in the confederate cause. The documentation was lacking and I was skeptical. The trouble is that, in the course of any far reaching historical event, with multitudes of participants and thousands of records and accounts that historians have picked through in order to price together their account and interpretation of those events. Random occurrences, antidotes, and reports may be used to support conclusions that are not valid. This is particularly common when “history” is used to support contemporary political discourse.

How would you describe the immediate post-war environment for camp slaves?

What are your thoughts on current Civil War reenactors? Are there at reputable re-enactments today? What about the newish trend of slavery interpreters like the Slave Dwelling Project?

I listened to your interview on the New Books Network a few weeks ago. What was going on in Mississippi that they pushed for pensions for camp slaves so much earlier than the other 3 states you mentioned? Did they push to publicize their move outside of Mississippi?

Link to the interview: https://newbooksnetwork.com/kevin-m-levin-searching-for-black-confederates-the-civil-wars-most-persistent-myth-unc-press-2019/

Apologies for the tangent, but this Venn diagrams over my historical passion. After the end of the war (or possibly in the midst of), have you heard of any black military being helped to the north by Freemasonry?

Hi, might be late to the thread but I'll ask anyways.

What was the attitude of the rank and file soldiers towards these camp slaves? Would they have much interaction with them or were camp slaves mostly relegated to their masters. Would these slaves cook for the men?

Thanks for your time!

Wish I saw this earlier. What was the most interesting/your favorite piece of evidence you found in the archive but couldn’t include, and what was the favorite source you actually cited for the book

In "This Republic Of Suffering", Drew Gilpin Faust talks about slaves transporting their owner's body home. She specifically cites slaves belonging to Generals Pettigrew and Pender doing this, and "Elijah, property of Colonel Isaac Avery, was determined to bring his body back to North Carolina, but in the chaos of Lee's retreat he managed to get the corpse only as far as Maryland, where it was buried" (pp. 90-91). It strikes me that these men would have had a wonderful opportunity to escape, especially since they were in Pennsylvania at the time, less than 100 miles from Washington. In your opinion, why would they not just sneak off in the middle of the night to freedom?

Hi Kevin,

We were FB friends a million years ago, lol.

How old are the myths? Where they being spread during the war?

​

Thanks!

Forgive me if this goes off topic, but did any foreign power supply the CSA? Or were they completely neutral

What informed your decision to devote your professional life to the War of the Rebellion? Specifically, what value do you feel you offer to contemporary society by dwelling on a conflict where racism played such a prominent role?

Hi Kevin!

I’ve been studying revisionism in Civil War/Reconstruction scholarship. Eric Foner has essentially dubbed the 1970s and onwards as the era of “post-revisionism” for civil war/reconstruction scholarship. Meaning that the misguided/racist myths of the “Dunning era” 1880s- 1940s, have since been revised by the more progressive historians of the “Revisionist” eras of the 1940s-1970s. Leaving the era of “post-revisionism “ as one step closer to actualizing the truth of the civil war/reconstruction with both black and white experiences considered.These are of course general timelines, whose boundaries are blurred.

You mention that the black confederate solider myth originated out of the 1970s. This would seem to contrast the general development of historical scholarship on the subject at the time as the 1970s generally worked to dispel myths, not propagate them. Why do you think the black confederate solider myth went against the grain and originated at this time ? Can you elaborate on the civil rights movements affects on this myth? What other social factors were prevalent to encourage this myth?

More than 150 years after the end of the Civil War, scores of websites, articles, and organizations repeat claims that anywhere between 500 and 100,000 free and enslaved African Americans fought willingly as soldiers in the Confederate army.

(emphasis mine)

Did any African Americans serve unwillingly?

This isn’t exactly on topic, but post civil war Fredrick Douglas called working as a free man wage slavery and said the system needed to be changed yet again. As the distribution of wealth skews to the top the amount of racial fighting amongst the working class increases.

As somebody that study’s history and the civil war time in particular, do you see similarities in today’s wage labor economy situation and that of post civil war?

I'm from the South myself, and the 'but there were black Confederates too!' line has always been especially frustrating. As you note, if there WERE black serving in Confederate armies, it wasn't as regular soldiers, and it wasn't in anything resembling large numbers.

I'm curious about what we might call 'black' Confederates - persons who might have presented visually as white or near-white, but were 1/8, 1/16, 1/32 etc black and regarded as such under the 'even one drop of blood' mindset. These folks seem like they might have been trickier to identify, particularly west of the Mississippi.

Would you be able to comment on any known accounts of these sorts of 'colored' Confederates?

Slightly off topic-

I am a big history "fan", of all history not just one era. Now my kids are home and i can really make sure they get a well rounded history and geography education, do you have anything you recommend? Books, movies, games ect that you remember getting you hooked into history?

My kids are 11, 8, and 6.

We've talked about some of the big players- Lincoln, Lee, Grant, and Harriet Tubman. And how the Mississippi River and other waterways played vital rolls in all the American wars. We've gotten a little into the underground railroad, but I'm trying to hold off on some of the graphic history with the 6 year old in the room.

Any suggestions would be welcome! I'm adding your book to my library list!

I recently found [this obituary] (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11423357/obituary-for-john-wilson-buckner/) for John Buckner, described as a free black man who have enlisted as a regular soldier. What do you think about it?

I recently read a biography on Bill Brownlow, Tennessee's Reconstruction governor, and he said that he and other East Tennessee Unionists were guarded by black Confederate soldiers when imprisoned in Knoxville at the start of the Civil War. Was Brownlow's account something that you investigated while researching your book? How reliable would you say it is? Also if the jailed unionists were guarded by black Confederates what would have been going on with those individuals that they would be used in that capacity?

Did you have a chance to talk/work with Professor James Robertson on any subject?

As an Englishman I get really confused by the Confederate flag. It amazes me that it is not held in the same contempt as say the Nazi Swastika. Whilst I understand slavery was only part of the civil war, I can't help but equate that flag to being pro-slavery. Am I wide of the mark here?

I inherited letters written by my great-grandfather during the Civil War. He was a Lt in the Confederate Army from Alabama. His father owned quite a few slaves.

I felt that I got to know and like him through his letters and was shocked when he casually mentioned "Hiram" and my great -grandmother added a separate note: "Hiram was his body servant and stole some money from M. so he sold him."

This was shocking to me and I had a hard time connecting the kind and brave man I had gotten to know through the letters with this man. I have tried to put myself into those times and in that place and remember how he was raised, etc, but it is difficult. This was during the summer of 1862 and for the past two years, Hiram had been with him but there was never any mention of him in any of the letters.

Based on your wealth of knowledge about this subject, would it be likely that Hiram would go to another officer as a body servant? Perhaps that's too nebulous a question, but I just thought I would throw it out there.

I have a question about the subject and a claim I remember being taught many years ago. Basically it was stated that while 75% of the lynchings that occurred between 1850 and 1950 targeted blacks - 98% targeted republicans (grouping the all in that number). I recall the Tuskegee institute being sourced. Beyond that I haven’t found much and since it might deal in politics it’s heavily edited.

Is such a claim true or is it true numerically and false otherwise?

Upon reading your question I immediately thought of black confederate soldiers discussed a couple of times in the Slave Narratives. But I have read so many they all run together, still prompted by your question I decided to reread a few of the narratives because they always fascinate me.

I soon became sleepy so decided to listen instead on YouTube. I quickly heard something I had not registered before, perhaps it can help you as a new lead in your search. Maybe not

The exslave being interviewed remembers colored soldiers going back to San Antonio. She was young and perhaps these were troops heading to the Texas/Mexico border as some Union troops did soon after the war.

This is just an tiny excerpt but her name is there so you should be able to trace her name (Harriet Smith) and location in the transcribed narrative.

https://youtu.be/fZfcc21c6Uo

Edit: This may be the transcript.

https://github.com/scholastica/slave-narratives/blob/master/published-narratives/audio/Interview%20with%20Aunt%20Harriet%20Smith%2C%20Hempstead%20Texas%2C%201941/Interview%20with%20Aunt%20Harriet%20Smith.html

"Black Confederates"?...

I've never even heard of this notion. Where are the people who believe this kind of thing and why?

One of the Amazon reviewers said you didn't talk about any of the African-Americans who actually did get Confederate commissions. Holt Collier and Moses Dallas are mentioned by name. How do you rebutt these claims? From his wiki, at least, Collier does seem to have been a Confederate sharpshooter and in a cavalry company. I can't trust the reviewer because he claims it's a fact the war did not derive out of slavery and white supremacy, which I consider revisionist Lost Cause lunacy. How do you respond to his claims?

Any chance in all of your research and findings that you ever came across information on Jocko, the lawn Jockey? There are a couple of stories, but no one seems to really have any evidence to support any of the theories.

Thanks

Kevin, I am a reenactor (union) so I come across this stuff ALOT. Thank you for dispelling some myths that are in our community. A few questions; Were there any free black men that fought in the Confederacy? Like, at all? At every event there is this one African american guy in full confederate garb talking about remembering black confederates... seems odd to me.

How were the slaves trusted to carry muskets? Seems a bold move.

One more question, among the rebs “co. Aytch” is incredibly popular. It seems to be the goto book for that side, but when I read it it REEKS of Lost Cause. How is this book holding up against real history? Not super related but id love to know.

I wish more reenactors would read tour work. God bless.

This might be a little bit outside the scope of your research, but of the enslaved African Americans who did serve with the Confederates (as slaves forced to join the war), how were they treated by Union troops? Were enslaved soldiers set free upon surrender or were they sent to prison camps alongside white Confederate volunteers?

What do you make of Sherrod Bryant?

WTF happened at the crater and why did union commanders keep doubling down on such an untenable position?

Thanks for doing this AMA. I didn’t know you or your book, but I am buying it now on kindle to read!

What about Frederick Douglas' letter to Lincoln?

1. how many black people did willingly serve the South as soldiers? Zero? more than 100? 2. how many black people willingly fought on the side of the pro-slavery Texans when Texas won its independence from Mexico?

Am I incorrect in my interpretation of history?

I believe that slavery wasn't unacceptable in the North until it became obvious to business tycoons that immigrant labor was cheaper overall than slave labor and that the very nature of labor had changed due to the industrial revolution. If it werent for that, the North would still be holding on to slaves.

Is that far off base?

On the other side I was taught that the civil war was about states' rights and not slavery. When I got older I realized that it was indeed about slavery (states' rights to own slaves) so that's another misconception at least in the South.

Did the black confederates understand that the North was fighting to free the slaves?

Hello! What would black confederates be armed with? Would they be given old muskets, or the new rifled ones? We’re there and black confederate officers and, if so, were they given revolvers?

Hello Kevin, interesting topic, thanks for doing the AMA. I would like to know if you espouse the classical definition of racism (something along the lines of "prejudice + action"), or the revisionist "power+privilege" notion thereof (or some other conception thereof)? Where do you stand on the whole "power+privilege" debacle?