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Show eee Sunday, December26, 1999 Black Confederates Exhibit Fuels Controversy Historians dispute Some may havefelt loyal to their owners or pretended to be loyal to join the troops and plot an escape, he said. Others may have beeninfluenced by talk of undisciplined Union soldiers mistreat- numbers, reasons for those in gray ing blacks on their march. Then there's the case of free blacks, like the Louisiana Native BY RACHEL ZOLL Guards. They were relatively prosperous New Orleans land- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, — Past the rack ofpistols at the Tennessee Civil War Museum, and past the video onfiring a cannon, is a grainy 1861 photo of Andrew and Silas Chandler. Both wear Confederate gray. “The bottom line is most white Southerners did not trust black Southerners, but they were will- and Andrewis his white master. Thephotois part of a display stating that at least 35,000 blacks fought in the 1.2 million-man Confederate army. The claim is politically loaded and, according to somehistorians, bogus. “The numbers are vastly over- ing to consider the use of blacks in Jim Myers/The Associated Press. Richard and Darlene Klahom of Brookfield, Wis., view the cxhibit about black soldiers believed to havejoined ranks with the Confederates,at the Tennessee Civil War Museum in Chattanooga. inflated,” said William Blair,directorofthe Civil War Era Center with their owners as personal attendants. said McPherson,authorof the Pu- as anyone who“actually took up firearms and shot at Yankees or at Pennsylvania State University. “There are people who want to They may have been armed and mayhaveused their guns for pro- litzer Prize-winning book Battle helped catch Union soldiers.” servants being permitted to join distance slavery as the cause of edges, it was still a distinction,” Cry ofFreedom. “There arecasesonfile ofblack the war. This feedsnicely into that tection, but does that make them soldiers? Ervin Jordan, a University of Virginia associate professor, is Craig Hadley, who designed the privately owned museum, be- John McGlone, president of Southern Heritage Press and an editor of the journal Black Southerners in Gray, says yes, even if and Afro-Yankees in Civil War Virginia, which Blair and other soldiers on a case-by-casebasis,” hesaid. He does have some theories about whythey fought. ible researchon the topic. Southernersfirst, he said, and how manyblacks joined, though perhaps believed they would be given money,land or even their whole view.” lieves critics balk because theissue challenges their narrow views of the South. That’s why heincluded the display whentheChattanooga site opened last year. “Nobody wants to acknowledge these people because they ‘fought on the wrong side,’” said Hadley, a professorat Southern Adventist University. Historians agree that some blacks enlisted as Confederates, even though the South banned them from the armyuntil the desperate few months before the war ended. No one ce for sure how many joined or why The debate is rooted in the thousands menand slaves who served the South as laborers, oeoneat yeaanys were slaves ike SisCh Chants attraveled their masters forced them into the war. McGlone believes more than 50,000 blacks foughtfor the South. “Whenyoudoget a battle commencing it all becomes a big blur,” said McGlone, a history lecturer at Motlow State Community Col- lege in Tullahoma. “Often, they got involved in battles even though their normal role was the author of Black rates historians consider the most Jordan said he can’t estimate hesaid he would define a soldier fying some soldiers by nothing more thantheir initials. Newspaper accounts aren't completely reliable, with some journalists writing far from the battle sites, basing their stories on “We Service WhatWeSell” “T would say that whilethedis- tinction was blurred around the right turned out the witness actually saw a “flag bearer bearing the colors,” Jordan said. Documents kept by Confederate states after the war make the record murkier. Veterans’ pensions were awarded to hundreds of blacks who were classified as laborers. information from soldiers as they have been forced to conceal their dan said he found documents where blacks had crossed out “soldier” and written “bodyser- vant” instead. Majorhistorical sites including the National Museumofthe Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, Va.; the Museum ofthe Confederacyin Richmond, Va.; and Gettysburg National Military Park have no exhibits on black Confederatesoldiers and no plans to add such displays. “It would be something that we would probably address if there wasevidence there were substantial numbers,” Gettysburg historian Scott Hartwig said. “There havebeena lot of people who have written aboutit recently, and the evidencehas beenvery flimsy.” returned to camp, McPherson Jordan, whois black, won't join also are questionable. Crews often reported finding “negro corpses” those groups — mainly white, he said — interested in erecting monumentsto blacksin gray. “My attitude about blacks who said. Documents from burial details when the bodies simply had turned black after hours in the sun, McPhersonsaid. False stories have also been were loyal to the Confederacyis I don’t condemn them nor do I praise them,” hesaid. “My goal is to explain them.” VACCINE STUDY FOR WOMEN if you are a healthy 18-30 year old woman interested in participating in a study in developmentofa vaccine for prevention of cervical cancer, call 585-9874 or 585-5683 Compensation provided University of Utah Health Science Center approved research Car Care Specialists, L.L.C. 4670 So Cherry St (440 W) Murray 567-9700 He puts the number between AIR DUCT MASTERS= More research could simply raise more questions. War records are sparse, identi- New andused phones. Repairs for all major brands. Complete line of accessories. several hundred and a few thoustances. freedom in exchangeforfighting. the military to save the Confederacy from defeat,” Jordan said. Authorized Nokia Repair Center support.” Civil War historian James McPhersoncalled McGlone'sestimate absurd. sand, saying laborers fought only under extraordinary circum- Manythoughtof themselves as with a “colored flag bearer.” It truerole since officially they had been banned from the army. Jor- ments reversed course, volunteering for the Union. McPherson this is no ordinary picture of Southern loyalists. Silas is black, troops at Gettysburg marching who volunteered in 1861 to fight for the Confederacy. said this indicates they fought to protect their property. hands and guns in their left. But for true. Jordan traced the origin of one well-known accountof Southern owners of mixed-race heritage of the city the next year, the regi- Both hold swords in their right repeated overthe years and taken Yet some who saw combat may Butafter the North took control t SALE? ristmas a Dec. 26th through Jan2nd O% to aa a Helping businesses make yise ativersing investments. 40% = OFF Selected Mens & Womens Save www harolds.com ern = o The Salt Lake Tribune NATION Sportswear (K) an extra 40% Fleece Vests and Outerwear SELECTION! MORE JOYOUS SAVINGS! [_]_ therain forest [-]_ the world aa Biggest Savings of the Year on: *THULE SPORT RACKS & ACCESSORIES... . 33% OFF *LAYER ONE POLYPRO UNDERWEAR... 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