Thats okay, I don't need to go to the Alabama board, I have no questions for anybody. I know the story.

I did not say "Confederate Service" or CSA, I said the general term "Confederates" or those fighting for or serving the Confederacy, which included the militia and home guard. Mobile was probably the most vocal city for the formation of free black, creole and even slave troops to serve the Confederacy. Maury saw this potential early with the Creoles, whom Maury went to bat for several times.

The Creole Guards are mentioned in Mobile newspaper ad calling them to muster and drill at their armory. The Creole Guards are also mentioned an newspaper article from Mobile performing in a military review along with the 2nd Regiment A.V.M, 3rd Regiment A.V.M., The Foriegn Legion, The Exempt Guards, The 48th Regiment, the 89th Regiment, the 94th Regiment, and 95th Regiment. Confederate Mobile, by Caldwell Delaney.

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Also mentioned in "Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Alabama"

"An Act

To authorize the enrollment of the Creoles of Mobile.

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Alabama in General Assembly convened, That certain persons of mixed blood, residing in the city and county of Mobile, commonly known as Creoles, be and the same are hereby authorized to be enrolled as militia for the defense of the city and county of Mobile, if in the opinion of the Mayor of the city it is expedient.

Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That the enrollment authorized by the first section of this act shall be made as follows, to-wit; the mayor shall enroll each male Creole between the ages of eighteen years and fifty years, who wishes to be enrolled; he shall then divide them into suitable companies, and appoint some discreet white men as commissioned officers to command said companies. Said companies shall be confined exclusively to the defense of the city and county of Mobile, and shall be under the command of the military authorities [Confederate] in the city of Mobile. Approved November 20, 1862.

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The story of the Creole Guards and the Native Guards of Mobile is mentioned in;

"Mobile, 1865 Last Stand of the Confederacy by Sean Michael O'Brien"

"Confederate Mobile by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr."

"Confederate Emancipation, Southern Plans to Free and Arm Slaves During the Civil War, by Bruce Levine"

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"Maury authorized enlistment of Creoles and free blacks in October of 1864. The "Native Guards" company was on duty in the spring of 1865, with Mobile's Assistant Chief of Police as commander and Creoles holding the other officer positions." Black Southerners in Gray, 1994, by Richard Rollins.

"After the Federals captured the forts at the entrance to Mobile Bay...,the Confederate commander at Mobile formed a special company of cavalry scouts to watch the enemy force on Dauphin Island. Some of the men in this unit were blacks and may have come from Mobile's free black population." Confederate Mobile, Bergeron.

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Mobile and Alabama were needing every able bodied man to defend the most important city in the state and the policies in Richmond were counter to that need. You can see that at every point during the war Mobile was looking to her non-white population to serve and help defend the city. They were ignoring Richmond's politics as much as they could to defend themselves.

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David Upton