John B. Jones, a clerk at the War Department in Richmond described in his diary entry for March 23, 1865, "the parade of a few negro troops yesterday was rather a ridiculous affair." John B. Jones, "A Rebel War Clerk's Diary," p. 457 (J.P. Lippencot & Co. 1866, reprinted 1982 Time-Life Books Collector's Library of the Civil War).

Bell Irvin Wiley discusses the same parade quoting observers saying that "considerable enthusiasm was aroused by the proficiency shown by the recruit in drill and manipulation of arms." However, he also noted that from other sources reported that it appeared that the recruits were held in contempt and that "little boys pelted their uniforms with mud." Bell Irvin Wiley, "Southern Negroes: 1861-1865," p. 160 (Yale University 1938, reprinted by Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge 1974)