Why Did Blacks Fight for the CSA?
Why would any African Americans serve the Confederacy? It is difficult, if not impossible, to list the full range of motives for any soldier of any race, though free African Americans probably shared the same motives as other free citizens. Admittedly, it is more difficult to summarize motives for slaves who fought to defend a society in which they were not free. Still, several thousand enslaved African Americans fought for the colonies during the American Revolution, even though British officials offered freedom for any slave joining the Redcoats, and many honorable African Americans have fought for the United States throughout history, even though they were not guaranteed their full rights of citizenship. Historians studying the Confederate service of African Americans have found several motivations, including a love for their state and nation, despite their disdain for slavery; imminent threats to their own homes by Federal troops marching through the South; personal relationships between servants and some free citizens who enlisted for war; and, in some cases, the promise of freedom in exchange for military service.