The book Confederate Emancipation by Bruce Levine explores the South’s thoughts and proposals for the inclusion of black troops into the army. While the confederacy did use black labor to help them with the war effort, they were extremely hesitant to arm the slaves. The generals and the government acknowledged that forcing the blacks to fight, still as slaves, was a bad idea because they were essentially arming a population that did not hold the planters in the highest of esteems (86). However, the South did not want to provide emancipation for their slaves because they were essential to the plantation system and the form of life they were fighting for. This dilemma left the Confederacy is a problem that was not addressed promptly. While the north passed the first and second Confiscation Acts, freeing those slaves held captive under rebel plantation owners, and allowing them to integrate themselves into Union lines, the confederacy had a difficult time formulating legislation that would allow for the integration of black troops into the army. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation also freed the slaves that were still under Confederate control and furthermore allowed these slaves to join the Union Army and actually take part in the fighting.
The notion of emancipation expressed in the book is not ever defined because of the fear that the Southerners felt in regard to the liberation of their slave population. The planters were not willing to lose all of their slaves when in part they were fighting to keep slavery as part of the Confederacy. If they liberated all the slaves, they were essentially throwing away all they had fought for up to that point (56). The Southerners proposed for plantation owners to volunteer their slaves for the cause (124). This did not guarantee freedom and it was up to the owner how he would compensate his slave for the service provided. The possible framers of the legislation were clear on the fact that in order for the emancipation of the slaves to work in their favor they had to be the ones providing liberty. However, these thoughts came a little too late into their minds. Since the Confederacy was doing well in the battles against the Union despite having less of a pool from where to draw soldiers, the utilization of slaves did not cross their mind. However, when morale declined due to loses on the battlefield, this idea became more attractive (21). When it dawned upon the Confederacy that there was a possibility of defeat, the Union had already taken steps to win over the enslaved population.
Since the plan in the Confederacy was to liberate the man who had fought for the Southern cause, it only allowed for men to receive this treatment. On the other hand, the Emancipation Proclamation and the second Confiscation Act declared all people under Confederate rule free. These pronouncements meant that whole families could leave a plantation and seek a profitable life elsewhere. Under the
Confederacy, the man would go off to war and gain his freedom. According to Levine, there were slaves who claimed they would not participate in this system because they were not willing to leave their wives and children behind (145). Furthermore, it seems highly unlikely to me that the slaves would be willing to fight for the Confederacy even if they offered freedom to their whole family. Since the Union offered the same thing, and the Union was not fighting to keep them enslaved it is more feasible that more blacks would be willing to cross into Union lines. Why would they fight for the Confederacy when they could be free under the Union without conditions?
Ultimately, I do not think that even if the Confederacy had passed any legislation to arm black men they would have emancipated all the slaves in their holding. Consequently, I do not see their idea of emancipation the same as the one expressed in the Emancipation Proclamation and the Confiscation Acts. Their goal was not to free a population but to find more fighters to continue their way of life, one that included slavery. Although the Union was not completely altruistic, their plan of action did specify freedom for all slaves (under the Confederacy).They even acknowledge that it would be better for them to liberate their slaves so that later they could mold the relationships between whites and blacks (103). They still sought to be in control and were not willing to allow freedom to their slaves. Although some slaves would have been freed under “Confederate Emancipation”, this phrase does not have the same meaning as what most of the population considers emancipation now.