In addition to sharing their findings, all talked of the difficulty of tracking down information on society s disenfranchised, pleading for anyone with any piece of the still incomplete puzzle to come forward. Members of the Native Guards, the country s first black soldiers to see battle under the command of black officers, were stationed for months at Ship Island and later fought at Pascagoula and Port Hudson. Among the men who served as officers were Maj. Speaker Jim Hollandsworth, a University of Southern Mississippi historian, has written two books on the subject, and fellow speaker C.P. Weaver has edited the diary of the remarkably progressive white commander Col. Nathan W. Daniels. But much is still unknown, he said, including the motives of those who signed on to fight with the Confederacy in the first place.
Common theories range from fear to pride to economic self-interest.
Whatever their reasons, the Confederate government used the unit for public relations, such as staged parades, but gave them little of substance to do. When New Orleans fell, the Native Guard units were disbanded and sent home, then recalled months later by Gen. Benjamin Butler, Union commander in New Orleans. But with few exceptions, Union leaders weren t much more hospitable. Although the men were lured with promises of pay equal to their white counterparts, Hollandsworth said it was three years before that became a reality. A number of officers resigned over prejudicial treatment.