Being ex-military I do not find the difference between the front line soldier or a non-front line soldier. They both take on the risk of capture and death because they swear an oath and are wearing a uniform. Levine glosses over the fact the blacks did serve in the Confederate Army no matter what capacity, as almost a dismissal to the fact they existed, a remarkable and untaught part of the Civil War history considering current and past knowledge of the war and the political ramifacations it brings to the table. They were also integrated into the military fabric of the state volunteer forces, not formed into a different branch of service like the U.S.C.T. That is no myth. Levine focuses on the slave issue alone, a different aspect of the whole picture, as the primary argument in the debate...I disagree, it is the fact that Southerners were willing to allow different races (and religions) into their armed forces is the issue, which contradicts another myth.

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David Upton