You said

--- JakeO, I addressed this point earlier. You start out agreeing that blacks served, then, having set up your straw man, you wonder why no one could see him.

---

There is no straw man set up, Stan. George keeps trying to say I am claiming no blacks served. I am not saying that. I am however making a clear distinction to blacks serving unofficially in small numbers in local units more or less on the sly on the one hand, (which was being done) and a policy to officially make it a deliberate practice to arm as many willing slaves as possible out of a vast untapped pool, which certainly was not done, but could have been doine, and should have been done, as many competent generals, including Lee, vigorously promoted, some earlier than others.

I am saying whatever was the case in limited numbers unofficially was not done in large enough officialy numbers to influence the outcome of the struggle. This was clearly a policy choice from CSA leadership in the highest circles. The fact that you say local commanders even had to hide the race of their men from Richmond proves my point. A different policy in Richmond on arming and using slaves may have won independence. To refuse emancipation at the cost of independence was a bad choice.

Your "keep race off the rolls" and let Richmond assume all are white, is interesting though... it was a 19th century don't ask don't tell.