Alan,

We had a very long and spirited discussion on this topic several months ago. You might want to reference the archives. But my favorite website is www.37thtexas.org. It's worth checking out in detail whether you believe the stated information or not. It is well documented and supported. I'll throw in a point I made back during the thread I mentioned. Dr. Lewis Steiner, Head of the U.S. Sanitery Commission counted over 3000 ARMED blacks with Jackson's command in Frederick, Maryland before the Battle of Sharpsburg in 1862.

Keith