One would certainly think that all army officers would want their soldiers to have their muskets ready, even during a long march, for action. Whether or not this was always enforced in Lee's army during their campaign through Maryland may never be known---likely not, since soldiers throughout history have tended to get sloppy when tired and hungry. But without more evidence, we can only speculate whether a majority of the black men reportedly in the Confederate ranks were carrying their own arms or the muskets of others.