@BillRM,
Quote: It surely sound like he was bended way out of shape because some of his fellow citizens was willing to consider ending slavery to get more manpower in order to try to keep the Confederacy alive even at that cost
That is true, there was a "last stand" mentality that had already invited several of the Indian tribes and "negro troops" were considered by both sides(the North much earlier though).
In 1862 The North had already begun a "Black Brigade" In Cincinnati to combat Morgan.ALSO, Ben Butler had raised the Louisiana "Native Guards" another NG , a regiment sized contingent from SC was raised. ALl these wre vetoed by Lincoln.
After the EMancipation Proclamation Lincoln called for four regiments of Blacks. By end of war , the Union had over 300000 black troops in over 100 regiments. The combat records are all available in official war docs.
AS the South Carolina article implies, not too popular was the idsea of black soldiers fighting for the CSA. CSA used blacks as porters and servants but not soldiers. In 1863 a proposal ws made to arm slaves was only briefly considered. Pat Cleburne (of the "Yell Rifles") tried to organize a batallion of slaves with a reward of freedom. This was vetod by DAVIS and then Cleburne was killed in Franklin tenn that year so his idea was permanently put on hold. AFter dicking around DAVIS proposed that 300000 black slaves be conscripted. (That was in MArch 1865, sort of like Hitler and his " Penemunde Projects" or his ME 206).
I would imagine that the article in the PILOT was in reference to the proposeal that had been under discussion between DAVIS and LEE during late 1864. Whether the slaves would have gladly fought for their captors was always open to debate.
The end of the war sort of got in the way.