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It is unfortunate that the black Confederate myth is still being spread by reporters who rely on false information or simply don't know how to do solid research. A few free blacks may have enlisted in TN state militia units, but they were not accepted into the Confederacy. https://twitter.com/NDJ2ND/status/1252805032879194112
Nathan Bedford Forrest did not give his slaves the "opportunity to join." This is one of the most popular Lost Cause myths out there. Finally, the political debate in TN during secession is ALL ABOUT SLAVERY. READ THE NEWSPAPERS. Unbelievable. http://cwmemory.com/2019/03/10/nathan-bedford-forrests-black-confederates/
The photograph is also misleading. At no point was Louis Nelson enlisted in the regiment. He remained a body servant or camp slave right up until the end of the war. Don't take my word for it. Here is part of his pension application. TN was one of five former Confederate...
...states that issued pensions to former slaves. I discuss all of this in my book, "Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War's Most Persistent Myth." Notice the question. Nelson is not asked in which regiment he served. He is asked to name... http://cwmemory.com/searching-for-black-confederates-the-civil-wars-most-persistent-myth/
...the officers under which HIS MASTER served. He is also asked for the name of HIS OWNER. These pension applications reinforced the postwar Lost Cause narrative that framed the war around "loyal slaves" and rewarded black men who remained deferential under Jim Crow.
All applicants also had to have witnesses testify on their behalf. They confirmed the applicant's responses and testified to their respectable behavior after the war in their respective communities, which meant that they didn't join the Republican Party or challenge white rule.
What is important about Nelson's witness is that he confirms that he was present in the regiment as a servant and cook right up until "the close of the war." "Servant" is another word for body servant or slave.
If you need any additional confirmation that Nelson was anything but a slave during the war take a look at this document. After Nelson's death his wife applied for a widow's pension. Here is the state's response. As far as Tennessee was concerned there were no black Confederates.
The upshot of this is that @NDJ2ND and @timesnewsonline should issue a correction to their story.
