Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth

241 Pages·2019·7.571 MB·English

by  Kevin M. Levin

Searching for
Black Confederates
CIVIL WAR AMERICA
Peter S. Carmichael, Caroline E. Janney,
and Aaron Sheehan- Dean, editors
This landmark series interprets broadly the history and culture
of the Civil War era through the long nineteenth century and
beyond. Drawing on diverse approaches and methods, the
series publishes historical works that explore all aspects of
the war, biographies of leading commanders, and tactical and
campaign studies, along with select editions of primary sources.
Together, these books shed new light on an era that remains
central to our understanding of American and world history.
Searching for
B l a c k C o n f e d e r a t e s
The Civil War’s
Most Persistent Myth
K e v i n M . L e v i n
The UniversiTy of norTh Carolina Press
Chapel Hill
This book was published with the assistance of the Fred W. Morrison Fund
of the University of North Carolina Press.
© 2019 Kevin M. Levin
All rights reserved
Designed by Jamison Cockerham
Set in Arno, Scala Sans, Fell DW Pica, and Irby
by Tseng Information Systems, Inc.
Manufactured in the United States of America
The University of North Carolina Press has been a member
of the Green Press Initiative since 2003.
Jacket illustrations: (front) Sergeant Andrew M. Chandler of the 44th
Mississippi Infantry Regiment, Co. F., and Silas Chandler, family slave,
ca. 1861; (back) “Confederate Camp” during the Late American War, ca. 1871.
Both courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
library of Congress CaTaloging- in- PUbliCaTion DaTa
Names: Levin, Kevin M., 1969– author.
Title: Searching for black Confederates : the Civil War’s most persistent myth /
Kevin M. Levin.
Other titles: Civil War America (Series)
Description: Chapel Hill : The University of North Carolina Press, [2019] |
Series: Civil War America | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: lCCn 2019002919 | isbn 9781469653266 (cloth : alk. paper) |
isbn 9781469653273 (ebook)
Subjects: lCsh: African Americans—Confederate States of America. | Confederate
States of America. Army—African American troops. | Slaves—Confederate States
of America. | African American soldiers—History—19th century. | United States—
History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Participation, African American.
Classification: lCC e585.a35 l48 2019 | DDC 973.7/415—dc23 lC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2019002919
for my ParenTs
with love and gratitude
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Contents
Introduction 1
1 The Camp Slaves’ War 12
2 Camp Slaves on the Battlefield 37
3 Camp Slaves and the Lost Cause 68
4 Camp Slaves and Pensions 100
5 Turning Camp Slaves into Black
Confederate Soldiers 123
6 Black Confederates on the Front Lines of
the Civil War Sesquicentennial 152
Conclusion 177
Acknowledgments 185
Notes 189
Bibliography 209
Index 221
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Figures
Andrew and Silas Chandler 13
Impressed slaves constructing earthworks on James Island 16
Camp slave entertaining Confederates in camp 21
Lieutenant J. Wallace Comer and his camp slave, Burrell 31
Confederate general Patrick Cleburne 59
Prayer in “Stonewall” Jackson’s Camp, 1866 77
“Confederate Camp” during the Late American War, ca. 1871 78
Booker T. Washington 83
Camp slaves attending Confederate veterans’
reunion in Tampa, Florida 85
Jefferson Shields 89
Steve “Uncle Steve Eberhart” Perry 91
Three former camp slaves at Confederate veterans’ reunion 93
Dr. R. A. Gwynne at the final Confederate veterans’ reunion 95
Dedication of the Confederate monument at
Arlington National Cemetery 98
Newspaper advertisement featuring Robert E. Lee
and his camp slave 126
Manipulated photograph of the “Louisiana Native Guard” 136
Camp slave cradling his dying master on the
battlefield in Grim Harvest of War 140
H. K. Edgerton 161