A lot of the newspaper coverage about black participation in the war is about the free black population in the South. They volunteered to work, they volunteered to fight, and they gave money to the cause. Sometimes they held benefit concerts to raise money for the men in the field. The ladies sewed clothing for the soldiers.
A few examples, and I could provide many, many more:
- 150 free black men of Charleston (about 10% of that cities free black men in 1861) volunteered to work for free on coastal defenses - Charleston Mercury January 3 1861
- an unnamed free black man of Columbia volunteered to go with a military company as a servant of a young man whose family had once owned his ancestors -The daily exchange. (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, January 11, 1861
- A large number of the free black men of Columbia volunteered their services in any capacity to the governor of South Carolina, saying they owe allegiance to SC and look to the state for protection - Rome tri-weekly courier. (Rome, Ga.) 1860-1881, January 19, 1861
- A free black barber named Joe Clark, a veteran of the Creek War of 1836, offered to raise a company of fellow free black men to fight in Georgia's defense. The newspaper calls his offer patriotic, even if one did not approve of black soldiers. - The daily dispatch. (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, January 29, 1861
- The men who would go on to form the 1st Louisiana Native Guard are noted as having offered to fight for Louisiana as they did in 1812-1814. Cincinnati daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, January 05, 1861