Lively conversation happening over at The Atlantic on Ta-Nehisi Coates’s blog. His post “The Myth of Black Confederate Soldiers” reminds me of conversations I’ve had in the past with folks who attempt to downplay the role of slavery and race in the Civil War. This is always surprising to me.
I’ve told the story before about how, when I was editor of Today’s Christian, I heard it big time from Confederate sympathizers who took me to task for publishing an article about the origin of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Silly me; I didn’t anticipate that emotions were still so raw over the outcome of the war. At the same time, I find it both revealing and truly miraculous that we can get on as fellow believers quite well (and, heck, you might even be a faithful reader of a magazine that I edit), yet we can hold fundamentally different views on issues so central to who each of us are. I think this is a testament to the unifying power of God’s love—but also to the fact that there are a lot of difficult things still left to talk about, if we ever hope to move our relationships from thin to thick. In any event, the discussion following Coates’s post offers some good food for thought.
Reconciliation Blog 
Being from a country which abolished slavery i the year 1200, and didn’t bother much about what colour their skin had neither, I wont pretend to fully understand the issues you have with race, slavery and the Civil War.
One thing confuses me though. The armed forces of the United States weren’t desegretgated until 1948, how come the Union Soldier was willing to sacrifice his life for the freedom of the black man in 1860 when it took him almost 90 years to allow him to fight by his shoulder?
Whether or not the Civil War was about slavery depends on which side you ask. To the Yankees it was about abolishing slavery. To the Confederacy it was about their Rights as Sovereign States to do as they wished without undue Federal interference.
Sadly, what they wanted to do was continue slavery though.
“To the Yankees it was about abolishing slavery.”
And yet the Yankee wouldn’t let the Negro fight shoulder to shoulder with him, not until 1948. It amazes me that the Yankee was willing to sacrifice his life for the cause of abolishing slavery when few were willing to even open their mouths about the 100 years of social segregation which followed the Civil War.
I’m not going to make any apologies for the CS, but I don’t think were as black & white (no pun intended) as you seem to believe.
SheikFyFazan,
Just because the were against slavery doesn’t mean they were for equality, or even association.
In 1860-61 no major political figure or political party of the North advocated the abolishment of slavery.
The secession of the South had to do with issues involving slavery…but not property in slaves.
The key issue was slavery in the territories.
The stance of the Republican Party on this issue had more to do with furthering their political power than any moral objection to slavery.
I think, like you mentioned, it indicates a need to talk about things. In some ways, Obama being in office has helped polarize some of the race conversation I think. It’s good in that it lets you know where people stand, and it’s bad because I think sometimes it shuts down conversations between reasonable people.
Your right, it’s amazing we get along sometimes as fellow believers, but I’d honestly rather have those hard conversations and get those “thick” relationships then leave so much unspoken.
This January 10, 1863 issue of Harper’s Weekly from the Civil War has an illustration of 2 black Confederate soldiers amed and in full uniform. it also talks about Black Confederate Soldiers.
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1863/battle-of-fredericksburg.htm
I don’t see much of a debate to as to whether they fought for the Confederacy.
My Great-Great-Great Grandfather was a African-American Confederate Soldier from Louisiana.
Louisiana, unlike other southern states, primarily maintained separated white and black military organizations. A few Louisiana “free blacks”, however, served in white Confederated units and received Confederate pensions. Among them were Charles Lutz, Jean Baptiste Pierre-Auguste, and Leufroy Pierre-Auguste of St. Landry Parish, who fought with the Confederate army troops at Shiloh, Fredericksburg, and Vicksburg.
Confederate Research Sources
Civil War Service:
Auguste, Lufoy Pierre. Pvt. Co. K. 16th La. Infty. En. Sept. 29th, 1861, Camp Moore, La. Present on All Rolls from Sept., 1861, to Oct., 1862. Roll for Nov. and Dec., 1862, ?Colored Man. Dropped from Roll by Order of Col.
Gober, Dec. 8th, 1862.?
CIVIL WAR HISTORY, Volume XXXII, No. 3, September, 1986
FREE MEN OF COLOR IN GREY
Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr.
Lufroy Pierre-Auguste was born in St. Landry Parish about 1830. He was the son of Pierre Pierre-Auguste and Gabriele Tessier, free persons of color. The 1860 census shows that Lufroy worked as a stockherder for Francois P. Pitre, Jr. Lufroy left his farm and joined Captain Daniel Gober’s Big Cane rifles, which became Company K, Sixteenth Louisiana Infantry Regiment. The first two muster rolls of this company list him as a free man of color-the only such instance found in researching these men. None of the men discussed in this manuscript, except for Lutz and possibly Gabriel Grappe, pretended they were white. The other men in their units undoubtedly knew them as free blacks. The Sixteenth Louisiana fought in the battles of Shiloh, Farmington, and Perrysville. On December 8, 1862, while in camp at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Lufroy received a discharge from Confederate service. The reason given for his dicharge was that he was a “colored man.” Apparently superior authorities had finally discovered that he was black and ordered his separation from the army. Lufroy went home, but he did become involved in one other incident before war’s end. On May 13, 1865, he surprised two Jayhawkers near Opelousas. These men made up part of a band of outlaws, deserters, and draft dodgers who resisted Confederate authority. The two Jayhawkers fired at him, and he returned fire, hitting one of the men. Lufroy married in 1869, but no further information on his life after the war has come to light so far.
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1860 United States Federal Census
Name: Lufroid p Auguste
Age in 1860: 30
Birth Year: abt 1830
Birthplace: Saint Landry
Home in 1860: Opelousas, St Landry, Louisiana
Race: Mulatto
Gender: Male
Post Office: Grand Coteau
Value of real estate: View image
Household Members: Name Age
Francois P Pitre 33
Azeline C Pitre 28
Francois Pitre 10
Estelle Pitre 9
Arthure Pitre 7
Azeline Pitre 5
Armant Pitre 3
Octave Pitre 9.12
Diomel s Durio 16
Lufroid p Auguste 30
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1870 St. Landry Parish, LA Census Record
Leufroi Pierre-Auguste 40 M Mulatto LA Farmer $300 $225
Caroline Pierre-Auguste 37 F Mulatto LA
Celestine Pierre-Auguste 21 F Mulatto LA
Narcisse Pierre-Auguste 17 M Mulatto LA
Azelie Pierre-Auguste 14 F Mulatto LA
Valmont Pierre-Auguste 13 M Mulatto LA
Pierre Pierre-Auguste 11 M Mulatto LA
Eugenie Pierre-Auguste 8 F Mulatto LA *Wife of Valmont LeBlanc brother
to William, Elizabeth, Zeolide, Etienne
Meranthe Pierre-Auguste 6 F Mulatto LA *Wife of William LeBlanc
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William Leblanc m. November 26, 1879 Merante Pierre August (Opelousas Courthouse marriage #11100). Married December 18, 1879, St. Landry Catholic Church, Vol. 2, page 521
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1880 United States Federal Census
Home in 1880: 1st Ward, Saint Landry, Louisiana
Auguste Lufroid Pierre 50 M Mulatto LA Farm Laborer
Caroline Pierre 50 F Mulatto LA
Eustine Pierre 30 F Mulatto LA Daughter
Ophelia Pierre 9 F Mulatto LA Granddaughter
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1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Marrent Lablanc
Home in 1900: Police Jury Ward 1, Saint Landry, Louisiana
Age: 38
Estimated birth year: abt 1862
Birthplace: Louisiana
Relationship to head-of-house: Wife
Spouse’s name: William
Race: Black
Occupation: View image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
William Lablanc 41
Marrent Lablanc 38
Uless Lablanc 19
William Lablanc 19
Albert Lablanc 12
Marrie Lablanc 9
Robert Lablanc 7
Joseph Lablanc 5
Josephine Lablanc 5
Henry Lablanc 4
Adam Lablanc 3
Ella Lablanc 2
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1910 United States Federal Census
Name: Eulis Leblance
[Eulis Leblanc]
Age in 1910: 29
Estimated birth year: abt 1881
Birthplace: Louisiana
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father’s Birth Place: Louisiana
Mother’s Birth Place: Louisiana
Spouse’s name: Madlene
Home in 1910: Police Jury Ward 1, St Landry, Louisiana
Marital Status: Married
Race: Mulatto
Gender: Male
Eulis Leblance 29
Madlene Leblance 21
Octavie Leblance 4
Ledia Leblance 2/12