There are many people out there who strongly disagree at the fact that black men served as Confederates during the War for Southern Independence. They belittle these men; calling them only cooks, servants, musicians etc. Most of these people are from the north who usually have a hidden agenda. They usually dont want people to recognize that black men fought because then they would not have a leg to stand on when they fight to ban the Confederate Battle Flag. They say the flag is a flag of racism.
They want us to believe that the war was just about slavery. Now, I wont sit here and say that the war had nothing to do with slavery. We all know it was a big part of it. They want us to think that it was the negro hating demon south against the negro loving and saving north. As with anything.....its never that simple and its never that black and white.
This post is not to get into the politics of the war or what caused the war. Its also not to dismiss slavery as a driving factor in the war. It is merely to pay honor to those Black Confederates. They, no doubt, had many reasons for being Confederates. Some may have been forced but some, no doubt, wanted to stand up and fight. After all, the North was invading their country also.
Some of the following men are unidentified to me. If you have knowledge of who they are please feel free to email me at JWheeler331@gmail.com as I would surely love to add that info.
The ones that I do have identities for, I have added their info.
Once again, I do not make this thread to get into a flaming about Black Confederates but to merely Honor the ones who served the Confederacy.
Holt Collier
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Howell Hinds joined the Confederate
Army and gave Collier his freedom papers. Collier immediately tried to
join the Confederate forces alongside Hinds, but was told he was too
young to fight. He ran away from the plantation and stowed away on a
riverboat in the Mississippi for almost a year and then joined the 9th
Texas Brigade by his own choice and served throughout the war. He
finished his service as one of Nathan Bedford Forrest’s most trusted
cavalry scouts, known as a superb horseman and marksman.
During the time of Reconstruction, Collier was accused of murdering a
Yankee soldier, Captain James King, but was acquitted by a military
tribunal in Vicksburg. King and Howell Hinds were involved in a fight
and during the dispute, Hinds, though a much older man, knocked the
youngster down several times. King’s anger grew with every knockdown.
Finally, the thoroughly infuriated young man drew a knife on his unarmed
opponent, but a bystander fired shots killing King, preventing him from
drawing blood with his knife. It was never fully proven that Holt
Collier was the man behind the gun. Soon after the trial, Collier left
Mississippi and headed for Texas to lay low and let the controversy of
the trial and King’s death blow over.
While in Texas, Collier used his skills as a horseman to work as a
cowboy for one of the Lone Star State’s Founding Fathers, Lawrence
Sullivan Ross, on Ross’ large ranch. Ross was one of the first Texas
Rangers and eventually Governor of Texas, which adds a bit of irony to
the story considering Collier was biding time waiting for a murder
accusation to pass.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/f...=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=10431545&df=all&
Unidentified Black Confederate
Unidentified Black Confederate
Unidentified Black Confederate
John Noland
This image was taken by E.A. Baldwin June 5 1863. This is John Noland.
Gus Myers spoke highly of this black man in notes in his journal. He is
wearing a Confederate raider hat. He was Quantrill’s personal scout and
spy. He later attended many of the Quantrill Reunions and was very
highly respected. All of his pall bearers were former Quantrill
guerrillas, white men who loved him
Unidentified Black Confederate
Half Brothers
This ambrotype taken by Washburn & Co. of New Orleans captured an
example of a unique social status in antebellum New Orleans. These
Confederate soldiers are half brothers, the one on the right a mulatto.
Silas Chandler
Most of us have seen this photo before.
The one-of-a-kind Civil War photograph is at the center of a hot debate
over whether black men fought for the Confederate army. Was Silas
Chandler, the black man in a Confederate uniform, slave or free? What
was the relationship between him and Andrew Chandler, the man at left?
The gentleman on the right is Silas Chandler, his slave, or as we've
always called him, manservant. Andrew Chandler fought with the 44th
Mississippi Cavalry, as did Silas. They're about the same age, joined
the Confederate army when Andrew was 16, Silas was 17, and they fought
in four battles together. What I'm told is unusual about this is that
both men are obviously in Confederate uniforms and that images of
African Americans in Confederate uniforms during the war are
particularly rare. I think they were seen more prevalently at veterans
reunions and things wearing Confederate uniforms. But it was, I think, a
very interesting relationship. The men grew up together, they worked
the fields together, and continued to live closely throughout the rest
of their lives.
Daniel Jenkins
Mulatto Confederate Soldier Daniel Jenkins and his wife. Jenkins was
with the Confederate 9th Kentucky Infantry and was killed at Shiloh on
4/6/62.
Anthony T. Welters
Confederate soldier Anthony T. Welters is pictured in this late 1800's
portrait. Welters is one of two African American Confederate soldiers
buried at San Lorenzo Cemetery in St. Augustine.
Returning to St. Augustine, after the war, Welters lived at 79 Bridge
St. and became active in politics and with the E. Kirby Smith Camp,
United Confederate Veterans. He died in 1902 at 92 years old.
Wary Clyburn
Wary Clyburn, served with honor
Mattie Clyburn Rice is the second black "Real Daughter" to be recognized by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Mattie Clyburn Rice, 88, spent years searching through archives to prove
her father was a black Confederate. As she leafs through a notebook
filled with official-looking papers, Rice stops to read a faded
photocopy with details of her father's military service.
"At Hilton Head while under fire of the enemy, he carried his master out
of the field of fire on his shoulder, that he performed personal
service for Robert E. Lee. That was his pension record," Rice says.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/f...=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=60770561&df=all&
Jeff Shields
A cook for the Stonewall Jackson Brigade, maybe a cook for Stonewall Jackson himself.
I hope that you can enjoy the photos and information provided with some of them. Feel free to leave comments but please be respectful.
