Part of the debate has included the reference to the only "official" unit raised by the Confederate Army made up entirely of slaves. A quote from Major George Campbell Brown stated---"The small body of black soldiers raised in Richmond in the weeks before defeat were the first and only black troops raised on our side." A quote from a Richmond newspaper puts a twist on his thought...

The Richmond Daily Dispatch: March 22, 1865.

Parade on the square.

--At half past 4 o'clock this afternoon, Major Chambliss's (Winder and Jackson Hospitals) battalion will parade on Capitol Square. Included in the battalion is a company of negroes, commanded by Captain Grimes, who will also be present and go through the military evolutions. This is the first company of negro troops which have been raised in Virginia, and was organized about a month ago by Dr. Chambliss from the employees of the hospitals. The men were on the lines during the recent raid."

The statement that it was the first company raised in "Virginia" suggest that there were others raised elsewhere outside of Virginia. Virginia officers, especially ANV officers like Campbell were known for publishing history only in the light of what happended in Virginia or with Virginia troops. The paper would have been more informative if it had wrote the company were the first raised in the "Confederacy" if this were true, however, maybe the paper made a typo.

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David Upton