The Story Behind This Image of a Confederate Soldier and His Servant

[@brucevaughn2886]

Most interesting and captivating account of these men, their service in the war and their families.

[@paulbolcik4444]

Great story about a fantastic artifact! Thanks for the full story - as this may be your best episode yet? Inside Silas Chandlers jacket can be seen a "Manhattan Co. firearms" - "pepperbox pistol". During the California Goldrush which occurred a decade previous to this photograph - they were just as popular as the "Colt Co. firearms" pistols.

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

Many thanks, Paul. Appreciate the detail about his pistol.

[@Calatriste54]

"History is History.. you can't get around it.." So well said.

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

During my interview with him, the moment he said it, I knew this would be the conclusion of my story!

[@michaeldouglas1243]

​​@@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail it was well said and well placed.

[@THE-HammerMan]

"History is history, you can't get by it." Nuff said... except for a thanks to Ron for his excellent work.

[@tracyscott2550]

I live in city in the city of Chickamauga and walk my dogs in the battlefield 2-3 times a week It’s always been my favorite place. I think I’ll try to find that area the 44th Mississippi fought in that cold day. Maybe I can find that sport at the bottom of the hill. I enjoy many mornings getting ready for work watching your informative and captivating stories Thank you. .

[@outdoorlife-j4h]

I can see that. It is a nice natural place to take the dogs for a walk. The same thing happened to Valley Forge, it is in the middle of Philla kind of. Great place to run bike etc without being ran over by a car.

[@tracyscott2550]

Sorry about the poor spelling. I think I can see in the am. I obviously needed my glasses. Ron, you have a way of reading these stories that add value. Thanks again.

[@HG-pj2ik]

Always wondered about this image thank you for bringing it to light Ron.

[@Tricia1969]

Great story. I enjoy hearing the human interest stories over the battles. Thank you for your research.

[@amadeusamwater]

The reconciliation you mentioned reminds me of the Jefferson-Hemings families doing something very similar.

[@jojohnston4113]

What a recollection! Thanks for sharing.

[@MarkWYoung-ky4uc]

Great story. I've seen this image many times but never knew the story behind it. It just goes to show you the story of the Civil War is never as cut and dried as we think it is.

[@Tsanusdi]

@@MarkWYoung-ky4uc , and that blacks weren't allowed as soldiers, that Silas was a loyal slave.

[@GregSimmons-y6q]

Love this episode.

[@garyjones8222]

What a fantastic story. I am from Mississippi originally and my relatives fault in the confederate army in both Mississippi and Alabama units while I am very proud of my ancestors service, I never forget what a terrible experience these African-American slaves were put through. I surely appreciate, the time you spent on this story and the unbiased presentation and allowing the words of all parties to speak for themselves. Once again, I really enjoy this site.

[@ScottSki-zx3kc]

Excellent. Thank you sir.

[@mlbs4803]

Similar story from a Louisiana branch of my family, but sadly without as much detail. Both boys were playmates from childhood, then master and servant. They (and I assume their families) lived together their entire lives.

[@keithsilverang7906]

Amazing story 😮

[@edwil111]

What an amazing story!

[@RadioMan666]

Most excellent!

[@MichaelLeBlanc-p4f]

In 'Mark Twains' biographies and his autobiography, you will find many references to slaves and their owners. Seems strong emotional family bonds developed over succeeding generations whatever the class system. You can't be safely tended to throughout childhood, by an older playmate who would take over household duties and in turn care for your children the same way and not develop high regard for them . . . and cry when they die

[@SandfordSmythe]

Many slave owning women took it very personally when a slave chose freedom and a new life.

[@mikemcmanus116]

Great story.

[@charlesbelser7249]

I surely wish I could have met Silas .

[@estercobb3436]

Seems like he took on a fatherly role to the two young men he accompanied into battle and they appear to have shared his affection. I think it says a lot that he chose to stay and raise his family on adjacent property to the Collier’s even after he was free. People don’t like to hear this, but just because there was a law making slavery illegal, does not mean the world was immediately a kind place to freed slaves. It was an incredibly dangerous world where slavery by another name continued to flourish and families had to stick together and protect eachother, black and white.

[@estercobb3436]

And by “slavery by another name” I am referencing the excellent PBS documentary regarding the caveat to the Emancipation Proclamation that slavery was still legal for prison inmates, which lead to decades of false imprisonment and horrific treatment for former slaves.

[@estercobb3436]

Even the holier than thou Industrial magnates of the north would become rich on the backs of former slaves, arrested on bogus charges and forced to work in quarries and mines. They essentially became the new slave owning class while hiding behind fake Aboloitionist claims. All is not what it appears to be on the surface. Southern families had complicated generations of mixed race siblings, and most, including my family, had many members “passing” as white. My meemaw who I’m named after was a statuesque dark complected “white” woman born in 1900 Texas, with long black wavy hair to her waist. Her grandfather was not her biological grandfather, but was instead a wealthy white man who adopted the son of his wife’s younger sister by a man that he subsequently shot!!

[@HardscrabbleBlake1968]

It is possible, perhaps probable, that Silas acted out of genuine affection for the Chandler brothers. However, his wife and probably other family were among the Chandler's 36 slaves. He may just have stayed loyal out of fear of what might happen to them if he ran away.

[@panchopistola8298]

Or he may have been treated well and actually been more of friends with his owner … You assuming more than the person who did the video is ….

[@HardscrabbleBlake1968]

@panchopistola8298 That's basically what I said in the first sentence. My point is that there are different ways these stories can be interpreted. We don't know what the reality was.

[@icescrew1]

Wow ! Epic !

[@ericcowles6518]

You should read Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth by Kevin Levin.

[@Tsanusdi]

Indeed, a fantastic book which wrecks the notion that blacks were soldiers throughout the war.

[@steventhompson399]

I've heard several times people insisting blacks served as confederate soldiers and wanted their homeland the south to win, but it always sounded suspect to me, even before I started learning about the war... it sounds ludicrous, but it's a thing people bring up sometimes, I guess they want to make the confederacy seem less racist so it looks better to people today

[@MrHand-ih4sz]

Ever read about the victims of the NYC Draft riots?

[@Tsanusdi]

@@MrHand-ih4sz , yep, which has NOTHING to do with the Confederate military and political policy to not have blacks as soldiers.

[@Tsanusdi]

@@MrHand-ih4sz , ever hear about the massacres of black Union troops throughout the war? Or that the Confederacy refused to exchange Union black soldiers, which is what caused the prisoner exchanges to fall apart?

[@brianniegemann4788]

Ron, thank you for this important insight into the relationships of Confederate officers and their "servants". And thank you for making it dispassionate and factual. You mention that 1,739 black freedmen were eligible for military pensions after the war. This surprised me. But there must have been many cases of slaves like Silas protecting their owners in battle, and honor demanded that they receive some compensation for their service. Even though these slave soldiers had little choice in their roles, they must have developed the bond that happens between all men in war. Silas seems to have been well treated by the standards of the time. He was taught a trade and allowed to earn a little money. I'm glad that he was able to live decently as a free man.

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

Thanks, Brian. Silas is one of many men of color who served in this capacity. In his case, Silas had an interest to stay alive for his wife and child held in bondage on the family plantation. Andrew needed Silas to stay alive so that he could make trips back and forth to Mississippi. And Andrew's mother needed Silas to stay alive to keep supplies and news moving between her and Andrew. It is a unique dynamic that played out in thousands of cases throughout the Southern armies.

[@icescrew1]

Truth is often, stranger than fiction.

[@davide9658]

Great episode Ron. I've seen and heard of many accounts of African American Confederates. It's an interesting aspect of Civil War history. It's understandable why many don't want to accept it, but they did, in fact, serve, some compulsory but many voluntarily. It's a complex subject, but a lot of enslaved blacks had strong familial bonds to their masters and their families, such as Silas, and strong attachments to their places of birth. To deny their existence or question their motives is a disservice to such people. Just looking at Silas' image in that photo and hearing his story says a lot. He looks like a fighter and seems to have conducted himself like one. By the way, my great great grandfather also fought at Chickamauga.

[@Tsanusdi]

They did not serve as soldiers, just as support. Per Confederate law and policy, blacks were NOT allowed to be soldiers. We know this because Pat Cleburne tried to put out a petition to have slaves turned into soldiers and it was utterly rejected by Davis and company. Ten months later, the Confederate Congress tried to bring it up on their own.....after 5 months of intense debate, the Confederate Congress finally passed the law allowing blacks to serve as soldiers in mid-March 1865-just a few weeks before Lee would surrender. As Ron points out above, they were given pensions as loyal slaves and servants, NOT as soldiers.

[@davide9658]

That was the official policy and narrative for sure, but how that translated into reality is a different matter. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence, such as the account of our friend Silas, that suggest otherwise. It does seem that there were different shades of gray during that war. ​@Tsanusdi

[@Tsanusdi]

@@davide9658 ROFL! NOTHING in that video above said anything about him fighting, only in getting Chandler off the field and getting him back home so that they could save his leg. Reality is that they were not allowed to be soldiers. Period. Let's see you post combat accounts of Silas, seeing as none one has been able to yet!

[@davide9658]

I can't prove he did and you can't prove he didn't so this is a useless discussion. ​My point is that unless you think he was just posing, he sure looked and acted like a soldier. What do you have against the idea or possibility that he might have decided on his own accord to take such actions? There are many such accounts that I've heard about over the years.

[@tracyscott2550]

No but he is holding weapons and wearing a confederate uniform.

[@michaelsnyder3871]

Not a musket, a double barreled shotgun.

[@googlepeace]

Excellent catch.

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

Thanks for setting the record straight!

[@JuelPayne-y1j]

Loyalty and friendship. Like it or not brothers in arms.

[@Tsanusdi]

Not brothers in arms, seeing as how Silas was not using them in the field.

[@jonrettich4579]

We disregard that extreme bias towards both racially different ethnic groups and some religions were vehement and savagely active north and south. The whole story is very complex. Forrest freed his 50 African American wagon drivers and as a slave dealer had a reputation for treating his business as human beings, this includes post war as well. That does not make the creation of the confederacy on the platform of slavery less reprehensible but I feel we need to know more than a simple sentence. Thank you for your fine efforts to present important insights and simple humanity into this still vital piece of our history

[@SEPARATIONATION]

Wonderful story. Silas was a soldier who served honorably. Even though the cause for which he served was not a honorable one, it's just a unfortunate sign of the times. It's significant that he actually received a veteran's pension for his service from the Confederate pension fund. Our history is a strange one.

[@Tsanusdi]

@@SEPARATIONATION , incorrect. Nowhere in this does Ron say as much. He was not a soldier and the Confederate army didn't allow them to be soldiers until the very end of the war. He received no such pension as a soldier, he did as a loyal slave.

[@SEPARATIONATION]

@Tsanusdi He was on the line, and he fired his weapon in anger. He was a soldier, whether officially counted or not.

[@Tsanusdi]

@SEPARATIONATION nope. A complete and utter lie. Nowhere in the accounts above did they say as much. Nowhere is that written. Feel free to provide proof or sit down.

[@Tsanusdi]

@SEPARATIONATION , and no he wasn't. Not according to the Confederates. I'll believe them over you any day of the week. You're trying to revise history to make it meet your biased agenda.

[@Tsanusdi]

@@SEPARATIONATION , he did no such thing. Let's see you prove it. Nothing in the accounts above say as much.

[@gregorydonatelli3429]

Can anyone identify the pistol this young confederate is holding in his left hand?😊

[@82ismi]

I want to add another view on the subject. Many of the white Confederates didn't own even a single slave, but fought for the South no matter what. On the other hand a lot of Union troops didn't care about slavery. It seems crazy to us nowadays, but that's the nature of such wars fuelled by political extremism and the interests of a small wealthy oligarchy.

[@ScottMarquardt-s7u]

Wonder how many servants were actually half brothers

[@philmccracken7520]

and there people who say that Blacks didn't fight for the south and yet this picture says otherwise , and Silas after he took andrew home , he went with andrew brother and andrew's brother and silas where they were with Jeff Davis on his fleeing from richmond ! Silas story is wonderful , nothing beats the true story of Holt Collier.

[@oldgeezerproductions]

It is obvious that some slaves were emotionally attached to their "owners" and followed them as their servants, while their master served in battle. This particular story, in no way says or implies that this slave fought in any battle, but the picture does show him holding his master's weapons. Holding weapons for a photograph is hardly "fighting for the South" and does not provide any credible evidence that any slaves ever served in the capacity of Confederate soldier.

[@brianniegemann4788]

It must never be forgotten that all blacks in the rebel armies were slaves. They had no choice in the matter. If they protected and defended their masters, it was out of self-interest. Silas knew that if his master was killed, he would probably be sold, lose his wife, and end up picking cotton somewhere. That's why he rescued him from the surgeons; he wanted to go home, get a break from the war while his master recovered, and earn some gold stars from the family. He sure wasn't doing it because he loved the cause of slavery and white supremacy.

[@23rdMS_Inf]

@@oldgeezerproductions Making slaves fight a war for them and putting them in danger went against the Southern honor code. The demand for labor as the Southern white working population was mobilized also made it a necessity to keep slaves in the labor pool.

[@oldgeezerproductions]

@@23rdMS_Inf I agree, the slaves were indeed needed for the South's labor pool. I won't say anything about the "Southern honor code" but for sure, absolutely for sure, allowing slaves to perform the honor of being Southern soldier went completely against, I MEAN COMPLETELY AGAINST the implacable racial theories and beliefs of that time and place. Southern Honor, if it required anything, required that people of the African Race be considered and treated as grossly inferior to "The White Race" in intellect, honor and abilities and NOT be allowed the honor and prestige of being a soldier.

[@estercobb3436]

Holt Collier is portrayed in Ang Lee’s excellent and wildly underrated movie “Ride With the Devil.”

[@beulahalestick8297]

Historian Ervin Jordan estimates 13000 African Americans fought for the Confederacy based on pensions paid by former Confederate states. There were hundreds of black slave owners in the south, over three hundred thousand freed blacks in the south, I believe that the chances of a percentage of the freed blacks joining there neighbors fighting for their states was possible. We seem to forget that people then looked at the world differently, how many Confederate soldiers owned slaves. I believe the rank and file of the Confederate army fought for their homes and families, not the evil institution of slavery.

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

@@beulahalestick8297 The pensions they received, including Silas, were as servants to Confederate soldiers rather than Confederate soldiers.

[@Tsanusdi]

Ervin Jordan is flat out wrong. At best you can say a few hundred were organized into 2 small companies at the end of the war, prior to that they were not allowed to by Confederate law.

[@MikeArnold-i5c]

The bonds built between men in war, regardless of color or beliefs, are rarely understood by those who've not experienced war. An example of this is evident in the position of Silas' ggGrandaughter, and those who vilify those men for their loyalties. Cause or, personal.

[@paulbolcik4444]

There were indeed Blacks that fought for the C.S.A. Alfred Bellard of the 5th New Jersey Inf. recounts a story in his year 1891 memoir "Gone for a soldier" of an incident on pg. 57 (reprint by "Little, Brown" 1975) of the C.S.A. "Negro" sharpshooter" who hid in a giant hollow tree at the rebel trenches in Yorktown, Va. and exchanged shots with the "Berdan's sharp shooters" on the 25th of April 1862. There are other accurate accounts left by many who had no reason to create falsehoods of Negro C.S.A. soldiers to numerous to mention here. Even Frederick Douglas knew that hundreds of Blacks fought for the C.S.A. taken from accurate accounts that he had heard in his time, so are you going to call him and his writings a lie? Kevin Levin has a 21st century agenda to "push" by distorting history to fit his "modern political agenda".

[@Tsanusdi]

Nope. Out of 127 volumes of the OR, there are only about 4-5 "accounts" from the Federal side, all of which can be explained away by the fog of war and distance. There's no corresponding accounts from the Confederate side. In fact, whenever the topic is brought up, the Confederates generally went nuts trying to put the idea down, which completely wrecks your claims. Douglas was nowhere near the battlefront and had an agenda. I have quoted many ACTUAL Confederates who said there were NO such men in the field-were they lying? Kevin Levin is an actual historian, unlike you. THere's no "modern political agenda", just factual history. You should try it sometime.

[@paulbolcik4444]

@@Tsanusdi There is a 43 page report, that was published in 1862 by Surgeon Lewis H. Steiner Inspector of the U.S. Sanitary Commission account or report "During the Rebel occupation of Frederick, MD." Published by Anson D. F. Randolph 683 Broadway N.Y. City. Page 19 - 20 ......... "Wednesday Sept. 10, 1862 - At 4 o'clock this morning the rebel army began to move from our town (Frederick), Jackson's force taking the advance. The movement continued till 8 PM, occupying sixteen hours. The most liberal calculations could not give them more than 64,000 men. Over 3,000 negros must be included in this number. These were clad in all kinds of uniforms, not only in cast-off U.S. uniforms, but in coats with Southern buttons, State buttons, etc. These were shabby, but not shabbier or seedier than those worn by white men in the rebel ranks. Most of the negroes had arms, rifles, muskets, sabers, bowie-knives, dirks, etc. They were supplied in many instances, with knapsacks, haversacks, canteens etc., and were manifestly an integral portion of the Southern Confederacy army. They were seen riding on horses and mules, driving wagons, riding on caissons, in ambulances, with the staff of Generals, and promiscuously mixed up with all the rebel horde. The fact was patent, and rather interesting when considered in connection with the horror rebels express at the suggestion of black soldiers being employed for the National defence"........... Everything else in this report is completely accurate and confirmed by other sources. So why would Steiner create any falsehoods associated with this 43 page (published in year 1862) - report? He was there for the six day rebel occupation in Frederick, MD. in Sept. 1862.

[@williamdemay9446]

@@Tsanusdi You wouldn't admit blacks did fight for the Confederacy under any circumstances. Why don't you take your own advice and try to own up to factual history. Obviously Silis could have found a time to slip away to Union lines and chose not to. What government policy was and what states ended up doing were 2 different things altogether. Blacks did serve in the Confederate army.

[@Tsanusdi]

@williamdemay9446 , lol, nope. Where exactly did I say that? Here's an idea, stop trying to put words in people's mouths when you lose the debate. I stated the rules. There's always exceptions to the rules. I never said that there were none, in fact, I pointed out that there were two small companies that were formed at the end, less than two hundred. There's every indication to say that they didn't fight, but it is possible that a white enough looking black could have passed muster. Silas wasn't one of those, however. And him not slipping away meant that he was a loyal slave. Period. There's absolutely no evidence that he fought, either from him or his masters. Now let's see you eat crow and admit that the Confederate policy was NOT to allow them to fight and that there were no "thousands" of blacks fighting for the Confederacy. Yes blacks served....in non combat roles as support. Thanks for admitting that!

[@Tsanusdi]

@@williamdemay9446 , which makes him a loyal slave, not a soldier. Blacks served as support, NOT as soldiers. I am owning up to factual history, unlike you. The facts prove what I said, they wreck your made up arguments. You have no proof, just rhetoric.

[@libeloussmith7656]

A pension is a pension.

[@Tsanusdi]

incorrect. There are different types of pensions. That's like saying a disease is a disease.

[@libeloussmith7656]

@@Tsanusdi Do you give a pension to a man you despise? And I'm a Chandler from Virginia.

[@libeloussmith7656]

You do not give a pension to a man you despise. And I am a Chandler from Virginia.

[@Tsanusdi]

@@libeloussmith7656 , so what? He wasn't. And pensions were given by the STATE governments, not the personal person, so claiming that they weren't given to people you despise is silly. That's not how pensions work. I suggest you actually study up on them and then come back, because you are obviously ignorant of how they work.

[@michaelthomas7178]

It is hard to realize to black actually fought for the confederate cause.

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

To my knowledge, there are n examples of Black men having fought for the Confederacy. In this instance, Silas was a servant and received a pension as the servant to a Confederate soldiers. So, he was recognized for his service only as a servant.

[@Tsanusdi]

@@michaelthomas7178 except they didn't.

[@Mantelar]

“We both slaves.” “Yes, but I’m a HOUSE slave.” Doesn’t take much status for a person to feel like fighting.

[@Tsanusdi]

@@Mantelar , except Silas didn't fight.

[@davide9658]

Thank you for the additional information. I don't have any reason to question the testimony of Gen. Corse, as I am sure it must have been factual from his perspective, which was as a Confederate officer in the Eastern theater. Since the official policy from Richmond was that no black men could serve in combat roles, I am sure that was observed in the Eastern theater. I suspect the Western theater may have been a different story however, especially when it came to commanders like Nathan Bedford Forrest. He was a guy who played by his own rules. He once threatened the life of his commanding officer (Braxton Bragg) and no one dared do anything about it. I've heard and read about many black men who served under him. As I said before, most were servants, workers and teamsters but some were in combat roles, such as Holt Collier who I mentioned earlier. I've even seen KZbin videos of the men who served under him at various post war reunions speaking about it. I saw another with an interview of black man who talks about his ancestor fighting under Forrest. You can find it if you try. Insofar as our friend Silas is concerned, I've seen his photo many times over the years and he doesn't strike me as someone who was dressing up in a Confederate uniform, with a Bowie knife and musket in hand just for the camera. If he was on the front lines with his master, which he certainly was, who would have stopped him from fighting? For some reason there are people who just can't fathom the idea that black people would have had such allegiance to the South. I don't find it hard to believe at all. Many, like Silas, were not mistreated and had strong ties to the place of their birth and sometimes even blood relations with their masters. Why wouldn't they fight if given the opportunity? Anyway, that's enough said on this topic. Let's all look forward to Ron's next excellent video. Good evening and good bye for now.

[@Tsanusdi]

Except you missed the entire proposal from Pat Cleburne in the Western theater that was completely shot down by the Confederate army and Jefferson Davis-who, in fact, had it suppressed. Forrest never threatened Bragg, which is a postwar tall tale. Nothing in Ron's video, or his subsequent responses on each post, says that Silas or any other black person fought for the Confederacy.

[@timsterrett2417]

I cant imagine having slaves free labor and servants to treat like dogs, then have them fight and protect you, after any slave protecting you the slave should be free and rewarded. But most went right back to free labor outrageous inhumane