There were many elements involved in the start of the Civil War; slavery however was, without question, the biggest factor. The participation of black men in the confederacy has been debated though. There is evidence to support both sides of the argument and much of it is contradictory. For instance Dr. Steiner’s 1862 report states that there were integrated confederate troops led by a confederate named Cobb, however there are quotes from Cobb only three years later that say he would never even consider integrating his troops. Dr. Steiner himself may have only reported that there were integrated troops to humiliate the confederates. Photos of black men in confederate uniforms are also used as evidence of the integration of southern troops however it has been proven that the union uniforms were not standardized and they may have in fact been union troops.

Some evidence in favor of the African American participation in the confederate troops has yet to be disproved though. There is a photo of a man named Andrew Martin Chandler and his African American servant Silas Chandler in confederate uniforms. However there is little context to the photo; there exists no explanation as to why Silas Chandler decided to serve nor is there description of what he did. In addition to that, Fredrick Douglass wrote that there were black confederate soldiers at Manassas. However Douglass may have had an ulterior motive because he desperately wanted the union to accept African American soldiers.

Historians have yet to come to consensus on this issue and it is still hotly debated by some. It does give insight into the unreliability into sources though; it is important for people to consider where their evidence comes from, who wrote it, what their reasoning was, and even trying to find other sources to corroborate it.