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Black Southerners in Confederate Armies

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Black Southerners in Confederate Armies Black Southerners in Confederate Armies Black Southerners in Confederate Armies Compiled & Edited by J. H. Segars and Charles Kelly Barrow PELICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY GRETNA 2007 Copyright © 2001 By J. H. Segars and Charles Kelly Barrow All rights reserved First Pelican edition, January 2007 The word “Pelican” and the depiction of a pelican are trademarks of Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., and are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Black Southerners Compiled & edited by J. H. Segars and Charles Kelly Barrow ISBN-13: 978-1-58980-455-5 CIP 00-135048 Front Cover: Confederate veterans meet for a reunion barbeque at Florence, Alabama in August 1921; Florence Times, Sept. 2 edition 1921, page 5. (Courtesy of Darrell Glover.) The 3 black men are: Reuben Patterson (1843-1928) of the 5th Alabama Cavalry. Reuben was Company Bugler and Body Servant of Col. Josiah Patterson. George Washington Seawright (1848-1931) of Co. K, 7th Alabama Infantry & Co. F, 4th Alabama Cavalry Peter Stewart (1825-1925). Back Cover: Reunion photograph of the Egbert Jones Camp, United Confederate Veterans, Huntsville, Alabama; Confederate Veteran, January, 1928 edition, page 97. Printed in the United States of America Published by Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. 1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, Louisiana 70053 CONTENTS Preface I. Encountering Black Confederates in History . 1 II. Reports and Correspondence from the Official Records . 27 III. Veteran Accounts . 49 IV. Confederate Pension Applications . 73 V. Historical Accounts . 101 VI. Newspaper Articles, 1861-1941 . 131 VII. Southern Memorials, Markers, and Tributes . 161 VIII. Bivouac of the Dead: Published Obituaries and Reminiscences . 183 IX. Contemporary Prespectives . 203 PREFACE Readers of military history continue to be captivated by one of the greatest of all epochs, the American Civil War, and publishers are attempting to meet the per- petual demand for new material. Unfortunately, many of the more recent studies remain focused on subjects that are well-worn and oft covered - the major battles, Eastern military campaigns, and the exploits of commanding generals. Some topics as “the Battle of Gettysburg” and “Sherman’s March to the Sea” are revisited quite often. Nevertheless, there are other important subjects that need -- and deserve - - closer scrutiny and examination. Eminent historians such as Bell I. Wiley and James I. Robertson, Jr. have pro- vided detailed studies about ordinary men and women who were pulled into the vortex of our greatest national struggle. But since the late 1960s, few scholars have delved into the human aspects of the American Civil War. As a result, there is a shortage of notable books about common soldiers, women in the war, and ethnic minorities. Furthermore, if we take into consideration the hundreds of thousands of books published about this period, we continue to find that the story of all participants has yet to be fully told. For example, very little is written about the role of African Americans in military campaigns of the United States -- yet, men and women of color were involved in all national conflicts beginning with the Revolu- tionary War. Modern history texts do not always mention that large numbers of slaves chose to fight with their colonial masters instead of accepting British offers of freedom during the American Revolution. This leads to an interesting parallel: In the 1860s, could black Southerners have also supported the war efforts of their homeland -- the Confederacy? While historians are willing to acknowledge that African Americans did serve in support of Confederate armies there continues to be debate over the count of how many men were involved and whether significant military contributions were made. On the surface the thought of black men and women serving the Confederacy seems beyond comprehension and reason, and is a vexation for many. Based on modern interpretations of history, persons of color who served within Confederate units (termed in today’s vernacular as Black Confederates) are, indeed, a paradox and this phenomenon contradicts much of what we thought we knew about the Civil War . and the South. Some scholars feel that Black Confederates were few in number so the subject is not worthy of serious study. Others strongly disagree. Neverthleless, extant source material provides information about slaves and freedmen who were Southern al- lies, and in some instances, who served as enlisted soldiers. The debate over this issue, like so many others relating to the Civil War, is not likely to be settled anytime soon. For many, the possibility-and the historical reality-of “Black Confederates” is not only intriguing but remains as one of the great ironies of American history. i How do we learn about Black Confederates? Considering the scarcity of offi- cial records and published unit histories, this is not an easy question to answer. One way is to view the surviving accounts, narratives, and writings of Civil War veterans and their family members. A number of notable books written between 1865 and 1925 contain important passages about blacks who worked in Confeder- ate military units as cooks, teamsters, bodyguards, construction workers, porters, artillerists, sailors, and soldiers. Also, the archival records, recorded minutes, and group photographs of United Confederate Veterans camps provide documenta- tion of the postwar presence of Black Confederates. (The Confederate Veteran magazine, the official organ of the UCV, is an invaluable source for learning about socio-military activities of veterans -- black and white.) Surprisingly, Confederate pension records include the names of African Ameri- cans and the accompanying affidavits filed in support of these pension applica- tions offer statements about the military service of applicants that can not be found anywhere else. Reliable information can also be gleaned from period news- papers, historical papers, and volumes of the Official Records. Genealogists and historical researchers have identified Black Confederates in their research and source material. County histories, family papers, and personal correspondence are also valuable sources. Newspaper articles and published obituaries tell readers about the military service of hometown heroes; and, recorded tributes to Black Confederates offer heartfelt sentiments and historical information that should not be ignored. Cemetery memorials, markers, and obelisks serve as tangible reminders of those who served their country. In this volume an attempt has been made to present selections from a wide variety of reliable sources, and with a minimal amount of editorial opinion and analysis. Also, readers are encouraged to do additional research by viewing archi- val and library source material that can be found in their local areas. Regardless of the debate over this subject, or any other single issue of the Civil War, there seems to be at least one constant to which we can all agree: the historical impact of this great struggle is mind-boggling. J. H. Segars ii Acknowledgements Since the 1995 publication of Forgotten Confederates: An Anthology about Black Southerners, Charles Kelly Barrow has continued to collect source material for this second volume. Subscribers of Confederate Veteran magazine responded to Barrow’s classified ads and many of these selections are now included. We offer thanks to Greg White, Civil War author and historian, for his outstanding research and for the extraordinary “gems” he sent our way. Also, we appreciate the editorial contributions, encouragement, and friendship of Cyndy Coan, a Georgia educator and writer. And for production and technical assistance we are indebted to Brenda Brothers of Independent Typestyles of Christiana, Tennessee. Special acknowledgement to Sheldon Vanauken and the editors of Southern Partisan Magazine for allowing us to reprint a wonderful article “Black Fighters for the South” from the 4th Quarter 1992 edition. We are indebted to Rebecca Maksel of Smithsonian Magazine for J.K. Obatala’s classic, “The unlikely story of blacks who were loyal to Dixie” which appeared in the March 1979 edition. (Attempts were made by the staff of Smithsonian and Southern Lion Books to locate the author, Mr. Obatala, and we are still trying to contact him for an interview.) Two exceptional selections, originally scheduled for inclusion in Forgotten Confederates, were saved for this volume. The first, “The Employment of Negroes as Soldiers in the Confederate Army” by Charles H. Wesley appeared as an article in the Journal of Negro History, Vol. IV, July, 1919: permission to reprint is granted by The Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, Inc. The second, “Understanding the Stillness,” appeared on national wire services in 1994 and was reprinted in newspapers around the country. We are grateful to Bill Max- well, an outstanding Florida journalist, for the contribution of his timeless essay. We have included the words of a modern-day Black Confederate, the late Eddie Brown Page, who reminds us that the phenomenon of men of color supporting the South is not relegated to the forgotten ages but remains as real - and as misunder- stood - today as in the past. We were privileged to hear Eddie speak on a favorite topic, “Black Confederates” and to hear his moving performances of “Dixie” which were always presented with passion and heartfelt emotion. We will continue to miss Eddie Page’s long telephone conversations: his enthusiasm was infectious, his knowledge of the South remarkable, and his devotion and love for history (and fellow countrymen) was inspiring. Special thanks to Calvin Johnson, Eddie’s good friend and compatriot, for keeping Page’s memory and important work from slip- ping into the narrow corners of lost history. iii Special thanks to the following contibutors. CALIFORNIA Dr. Lawrence Fletcher Talbott DOMINION OF CANADA Tom Brooks FLORIDA James F. Hull Camp #1347, SCV Robert Mann Hewitt J. Dupont GEORGIA Greg C. White Andrew M. Thompson John B. Carroll III Calvin Johnson, Jr. INDIANA Dr. Duane W. H. Arnold KANSAS Jesse R. Estes LOUISIANA Keith Bernard MICHIGAN Stephen D.
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