I am no more "stuck" on my position than I am stuck on any other historical issue which I have spent time researching. If someone can show me data that is accurate and from primary source material then I would be willing to consider it. Googling for history is a poor way to research. You will note that websites that support this claim of many black southern soldiers are all pro confederacy. Those that dismiss it outright are generally anti-southern. Here is my issue, I spent 6 years in college majoring in history, primarily Ante Bellum southern history and Civil War histoy. I live in Virginia and spend many summer weekends at battlefields, and my hobby is reading civil war history. I am no expert to be sure, but during all my reading I have never come across any credible evidence that more than a token number of blacks served as volunteers with the confederate army. I have never seen a picture of black confederate soldiers save a couple that were dubious at best. I have never read a letter or a journal of a confederate or union soldier mentioning black confederate soldiers. I have read extensively about the debates that took place which in the end completely rejected the notion of bringing free blacks into the confederate army. Please show me one primary source document of a black confederate soldier being taken prisoner, aside from one at Gettysburg that was famous because it was the only one on record. The fact these claims go from 6 thousand to 150 thousand simply confirm for me that there is no data out there and people are passing around the same urban myths from web site to web site. If you believe there were 150 thousand black confederate soldiers you are in a fantasy world.
Serving and being on the front are two different things. In WW2 it took three soldiers to support every one on the front line. I would never have put black soldiers on the front line if I was a CSA General. They would of served in the rear with the gear. There are more than a few pictures that would seem to be authentic. Yes many sites are pro Southern does that automatically make them more suspect than the pro Union?