You wrote, "Whether or not the Confederacy officially sanctioned their presence is beside the point." Do you mean the Confederate government and the Confederate War Department exercized no control over Confederate military commands? The kind of paramilitary assembly you seem to have in mind are simply guerillas, who come and go at will. Let me assure you, the Confederate army was far from being a group of men who just assembled and went about as they pleased. It was a highly organized and disciplined command, officers and men operating under direction of the War Department, like it or not.

You wrote, "What is important to me is the fact that there was a large group of men who lived during the mid and late 1800's, and that served in the most devastating war in our nations history, that have been systematically ignored by many current historians and today's society. That group is the Black Confederate soldier. To ignore these men is an injustice."

Would you mind explaining what evidence you have that Black Confederates have been "ignored" by many current historians? Please list current historians who are guilty of this injustice.

You listed a number of Federal accounts asserting the presence of armed black men fighting in Confederate ranks. Let me ask you to put yourself in their place. With the advent of the rifled musket, a man could be killed at distances up to five hundred yards or more. In order to get a good look at an enemy soldier, you would need to be within a hundred yards or less. Your eyesight might be better than mine, but I can't pick out too many details about anyone in the stands across a football field, and there are no trees or clouds of smoke to obscure my vision. Plus, you would think a Yankee officer on the firing line had other concerns than counting Negroes.

If you were a Confederate soldier, wouldn't you make mention of your black comrades who fought beside you throughout the war? You'd know for sure if the other men who marched with you, camped with you and served in battle with you were black or not. Why not look for first-hand Southern accounts of Black Confederates instead of quoting Yankees over and over. Can you explain why Black Confederate advocates ignore white Confederate accounts?

Direct answers will be appreciated.