Black Confederates

JWheeler331

First Sergeant
Joined
Aug 4, 2010
Location
Louisiana
Upon reading the other thread about the black Confederate I knew I had some info on him so looking through my files I found some more pictures of Black Confederates. I thought I would share them here as to not take away from the other thread. Some are identified and some are not.


Holt Collier

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At the outbreak of the Civil War, Howell Hinds joined the Confederate Army and gave Collier his freedom papers. Collier immediately tried to join the Confederate forces alongside Hinds, but was told he was too young to fight. He ran away from the plantation and stowed away on a riverboat in the Mississippi for almost a year and then joined the 9th Texas Brigade by his own choice and served throughout the war. He finished his service as one of Nathan Bedford Forrest’s most trusted cavalry scouts, known as a superb horseman and marksman.

During the time of Reconstruction, Collier was accused of murdering a Yankee soldier, Captain James King, but was acquitted by a military tribunal in Vicksburg. King and Howell Hinds were involved in a fight and during the dispute, Hinds, though a much older man, knocked the youngster down several times. King’s anger grew with every knockdown. Finally, the thoroughly infuriated young man drew a knife on his unarmed opponent, but a bystander fired shots killing King, preventing him from drawing blood with his knife. It was never fully proven that Holt Collier was the man behind the gun. Soon after the trial, Collier left Mississippi and headed for Texas to lay low and let the controversy of the trial and King’s death blow over.

While in Texas, Collier used his skills as a horseman to work as a cowboy for one of the Lone Star State’s Founding Fathers, Lawrence Sullivan Ross, on Ross’ large ranch. Ross was one of the first Texas Rangers and eventually Governor of Texas, which adds a bit of irony to the story considering Collier was biding time waiting for a murder accusation to pass.



Unidentified Black Confederate

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Unidentified Black Confederate

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Unidentified Black Confederate

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Jeff Shields, a cook for the Stonewall Jackson Brigade, maybe a cook for Stonewall Jackson himself.

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John Noland

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This image was taken by E.A. Baldwin June 5 1863. This is John Noland. Gus Myers spoke highly of this black man in notes in his journal. He is wearing a Confederate raider hat. He was Quantrill’s personal scout and spy. He later attended many of the Quantrill Reunions and was very highly respected. All of his pall bearers were former Quantrill guerrillas, white men who loved him.

Unidentified Black Confederate

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Half Brothers

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This ambrotype taken by Washburn & Co. of New Orleans captured an example of a unique social status in antebellum New Orleans. These Confederate soldiers are half brothers, the one on the right a mulatto.


Silas Chandler

Most of us have seen this photo before.

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The one-of-a-kind Civil War photograph is at the center of a hot debate over whether black men fought for the Confederate army. Was Silas Chandler, the black man in a Confederate uniform, slave or free? What was the relationship between him and Andrew Chandler, the man at left?

The gentleman on the right is Silas Chandler, his slave, or as we've always called him, manservant. Andrew Chandler fought with the 44th Mississippi Cavalry, as did Silas. They're about the same age, joined the Confederate army when Andrew was 16, Silas was 17, and they fought in four battles together. What I'm told is unusual about this is that both men are obviously in Confederate uniforms and that images of African Americans in Confederate uniforms during the war are particularly rare. I think they were seen more prevalently at veterans reunions and things wearing Confederate uniforms. But it was, I think, a very interesting relationship. The men grew up together, they worked the fields together, and continued to live closely throughout the rest of their lives.


Daniel Jenkins

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Mulatto Confederate Soldier Daniel Jenkins and his wife. Jenkins was with the Confederate 9th Kentucky Infantry and was killed at Shiloh on 4/6/62.
 
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