In a nutshell, I believe that your starting point in your discussions is not "did slaves in the South willingly fight in great numbers and voluntarily for the Confederacy", I believe this is a tool to advance a more basic argument of a superior moral position in the North on the subject of slavery, generally. I believe, from my reading, that the North had far more to do with the establishment and perpetuation of slavery than did the South. My example was meant to identify who were the addicted smokers (Southerners) and who were the tobacco importers, manufacturers, distributors and bankers.

From sources other than you and George Purvis, I would listen attentively, but I feel both of you are so biased from your starting point, which is a hatred of the other's region of the country, that this argument is only subterfuge or misdirection meant to reinforce the basic position that your region of the country is superior to the other. If George can prove that blacks volunteered and supported the Confederate cause in large numbers he can promote arguments that the war was not about slavery and that slavery was not as bad as some might say, "just look how many 'jined' up". In your case, you cannot allow the idea that African-Americans might for whatever reason and in whatever numbers have supported their white masters or as freedmen their country, because this would undermine your belief that Union soldiers "singing hymns" and doing God's work, exacted the creators vengeance on a deserving South.

Unfortunately I do not value yours or George's postings, because I believe you both are so biased and invested in your positions, that it is a complete waste of time and effort to exchange with either of you or to attempt to gain anything that enriches my understanding of the war and its causes.

Now if you want to write some other nonsensical response to my posting, which I'm sure everyone else on the message board understood, please feel free to do so, but I think you'd do yourself a little more good not reading ideologically based Cliff notes and do a little more research of original documents with no entrenched bias.

Jim