In recent years, certain historians and groups such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans have espoused a revisionist view of the Confederate Army during the Civil War: one in which African Americans fought side by side with white soldiers for the cause of the South.
This idea of African American Confederate soldiers--the so-called "Black Confederate myth"--has already been debunked, yet somehow the belief has not only gained ground but has even been reported in some respected mainstream forums, as well as being included in a textbook approved by a Virginia school system.
The simplest fact that one must understand concerning the idea of African Americans serving in the Confederate Army is that this was against Confederate law. Not a single African American enlisted in the Confederate Army prior to the spring of 1865, when the Confederate Congress finally enacted a law that allowed for the enlistment of African Americans. Unfortunately for the Confederate Congress and Confederate Army, as we all know, the spring of 1865 also marked the surrender of Lee and the end of the War (and the death of the Confederate States of America).
This is not to say, of course, that African Americans did not provide service to the Confederate Army. There were many African American slaves on the front lines of battle, brought there by their owners. The services they provided may even have included fighting in the stead of their owners. However, their presence in the Army was generally that of an enslaved group of people without the freedom to choose their loyalties, not through some sense of loyalty to the Confederate cause.
Historian and author Kevin Levin has devoted a great amount of time and space in his blog Civil War Memory to refuting claims of "Black Confederates." His many articles (and upcoming book) on the subject deal with specific claims as well as the general idea.
One reason that this idea continues to gain steam is the existence of certain records suggesting that African Americans were accepted as soldiers in the Confederate Army. All of the former Confederate states granted pensions to former soldiers in the Confederate Army. Several of these states also allowed pensions to former slaves (or "body servants") who had served their masters in the Confederate Army, or who had served the Army through the building of fortifications or other manual labor. These pension applications are extremely useful for genealogical research. Though they do not contain as much information as Union pension files, they often provide at least the name of the slave owner, place of birth, and details of their service.
It is important to note that African Americans did not generally receive pensions for military service in the Confederate Army. In fact these African American pensioners were classified differently from Confederate soldiers who received pensions. For more information, see "'Negro Pensioners are Not Classed as Confederate Soldiers,'" on the Civil War Memory blog.
Two of the most important aspects of genealogical research are understanding the records that we use, and understanding the historical context of our ancestors. As you research African American ancestors during the period of the Civil War, you will certainly come across information about "black Confederates." It is important to understand the real history behind this myth, and not fall victim to these revisionist claims when reconstructing your ancestors' lives.
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