Confederate Emancipation: Southern Plans to Free and Arm Slaves during the Civil War

263 Pages·2005·2.13 MB·English

by  Bruce Levine

Confederate
Emancipation:
Southern Plans to Free
and Arm Slaves during
the Civil War
BRUCE LEVINE
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Confederate
Emancipation
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Confederate
Emancipation
Southern Plans to Free and Arm
Slaves during the Civil War
B R U C E L E V I N E
2006
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Levine, Bruce C., 1949–
Confederate emancipation: southern plans to free and arm slaves during
the Civil War/Bruce Levine.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-514762-9
ISBN-10: 0-19-514762-6
1. Slaves—Emancipation—Confederate States of America.
2. Confederate States of America—Politics and government.
3. Slaves—Confederate States of America—History—19th century.
4. Slaves—Southern States—History—19th century.
5. United States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—African Americans.
6. Confederate States of America—Race relations—Political aspects.
I. Title.
E453.L48 2005
973.7’14—dc22
2005047746
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To my sister, Nancy,
With love and appreciation
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CONTENTS
Introduction
The Puzzle of Confederate Emancipation
1
1
“A Desperate Expedient”
The Heresy and Its Origins, 1861–1864
16
2
“What Did We Go to War For?”
The Critics’ Indictment
40
3
Black and Gray
Slaves and the Confederate War Effort
60
viii Contents
4
“We Can Devise the Means”
The Long-Term Plan
89
5
“On the Footing of Soldiers”
Enacting and Implementing New Policy, 1864–1865
110
6
“Like a Drowning Man Catching at Straws”
Could It Have Worked?
129
Conclusion
From Black Troops to Black Codes
“Confederate Emancipation” in War and Peace
148
Acknowledgments
165
Notes
169
Sources Cited
223
Index
243
Contents ix
Confederate
Emancipation