As relayed by Zinn, the South did debate using freed slaves as soldiers, especially late in the war when the Confederacy became more desperate, and many came to think of the slaves as an obstacle to winning -- especially, as we reported in earlier History Minute posts, that large numbers of enslaved people were deserting their plantations and going to fight for the North. Some Southern leaders proposed freeing slaves and then enlisting them.
However, attitudes of White Supremacy prevailed, and opponents argued that "If slaves would make good soldiers, our whole theory of slavery is wrong." That is because slavery was justified for Christians as a means of bringing salvation and civilization to savages; if Black men were capable of serving in the military, how could slavery be justified? And how could the Southern rebellion be justified?
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