The Black “Soldiers” in the Confederacy

How enslaved and free Blacks served white supremacists

Marlboro Jones. Confederate Captain Randal F. Jones’s Manservant of the 7th Georgia Cavalry. Sits for an Ambrotype Dressed in Confederate Uniform. Source: Encyclopedia Virginia.

Unsurprisingly, African Americans, enslaved or free, often fought for the Union during the American Civil War. In 1863, the United States War Department created the Bureau of Colored Troops, establishing the United States Color Troops (USCT).

These units were comprised of African Americans and other ethnic minorities, their purpose being to boost the Union’s manpower. They fought for the slaves’ freedom, dignity, and the preservation of the Union.

But, it is often forgotten that numerous African Americans, enslaved or free, fought for the Confederacy. Their legacy is complex and often distorted in contemporary politics, especially in the myth of the black Confederate soldier.

The myth of the black confederate soldier

Confederate Reunion. Source: Essential Civil War Curriculum

Starting in the 1970s, the Confederate heritage community leaders began arguing that many blacks had fought for the Confederacy. They wanted to counter the rising civil rights movement and gain support for their Lost Cause narrative.