Researcher: Blacks Fought for Confederacy

Despite heated denials from many historians, a Palestine historian says he has solid evidence that thousands of black slaves served on the side of the Confederacy in the Civil War.

Historian Norris White Jr. is researching the role of blacks in the Confederate Army for a book that will be titled “Black Texans Who Served in the Confederate Army.”  White told the Tyler Morning Telegraph that these men are the “forgotten Confederates.”

Most historians say emphatically that no slaves served on the Confederate side, but White says his research has turned up primary sources that show more than 7,000 black Texans served the Confederate army in many capacities.

Many were personal servants, teamsters, and laborers, and some even fought on the battlefields. White says no matter their job was, they were there supporting the Confederate army in some way.

White says as a country that honors its war veterans, Americans should recognize and honor all its veterans, including blacks who fought for the South.