[CurlyBill]

Had free African-Americans been soldiers in integrated units, wouldn't we have heard more about it?

Not when it's being taught by the same people who apparently taught you...

[x]

In his book, Slaves Without Masters, The Free Negro in the Antebellum South, Ira Berlin relates that Ben Butler, who mustered the Louisiana "colored" Native Guard unit into the Union Army, was amazed to find that the darkest of them was "about the complexion of the late Mr. Webster," apparently Daniel Webster (1782-1852), the famous Senator from Massachusetts.

Now, we know that Ben Butler wasn't always truthful. He had a tendency to boast and exaggerate. He can't be taken literally. And he wasn't always friendly towards Blacks. But it does make you think that people who are promoting the "Black Confederates" story might be surprised if they could actually meet some of the few African-Americans who were willing -- though not allowed -- to fight for the Confederacy.

Interesting webpage here.