After the Confederate Senate voted 9 to 8 to authorize Negroes as soldiers on March 8, 1865, Robert E. Lee wrote Jefferson Davis that he advised putting the proposed law into effect as soon as practical, given the need for more Confederate soldiers. After receiving the bill from Congress on March 13th, Davis immediately signed the measure. The President was authorized to call upon owners to volunteer their slaves, but the measure contained no specific reference to emancipation. The assumption was that slaves who fought for the Confederacy would be made free by action of the various states. A few troops were raised as a result of this law and training begun. However, the war would come to a close before Negro soldiers would see combat on behalf of the Confederacy.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.