Is There Archival Proof of Black Confederates?

The article examines African American slaves' involvement in the military forces of the Confederate States of America during the U.S. Civil War through an analysis of military records kept at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Efforts to actually enlist African Americans did not begin until March 1865, only a month before the war's end. The 1st Regiment Native Guard, Louisiana Militia was made up of free blacks but was not part of the Confederate Army.