Nice find Stan!

His qualification that "it is now pretty well established" suggests that he was working off of reported observations from others. I would not say that it is proof that he did not have evidence, because other northern accounts could be evidence for him to make the claim. But, this source does not show that Douglass had personally seen blacks fighting for the Confederacy.

There is no doubt from reading the entire piece that Douglass, as you explain, was arguing that northerners should accept black military service (as laborers and as soldiers).

I guess my "spin" of Douglass was just about right on.

Finally, you explained that my assumption that Douglass talked about black Confederate service to advocate for black Union service was "patronizing." I do not believe so, for there is no doubt that Douglass was a black activist who labored tirelessly for black rights and interests. Suggesting that his comments were given with this interest in mind (even without the full article or citation) was not dismissive or patronizing, but recognizing the usual context and meanings of his public words and actions. It appears that this was indeed the case.