Minority support: Blacks, American Indians, Jews fought for Confederacy

In response to Gov. Matt Blunt's decision to allow the Confederate battle flag (St. Andrew's Cross) to fly during this year's Confederate Memorial Day ceremony at Higginsville, Mo., the NAACP is condemning him for it.

In a story found at the Web site of The Call, a Kansas City newspaper covering race and ethnic issues, the NAACP Missouri State Conference made the following statement: "For the tens of thousands of American citizens who found themselves terrorized and threatened by violent, hateful individuals who used the Confederate flag as a symbol of their hate, much like the broken cross was used by the Germans in World War II, it is clear that the governor has no regard or respect for their voice."

Tens of thousands of Missourians were terrorized and threatened during the War of Yankee Aggression in Missouri. One of those Missourians was John Noland, a scout for William Clarke Quantrill. Information found at the Web site of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Gen. Nathan B. Forrest Camp 469, in Rome, Ga., states: "Noland joined Quantrill because his family in Missouri had been abused by Jayhawkers, Kansas guerrillas who raided Missouri and later were mustered into the Union forces"

Another interesting fact about John Noland is that he was black. Additional information found at the aforementioned Web site states: "Photographs of Quantrill's raiders as they attended reunions after the Civil War show Noland sitting prominently with white members of the group."

According to Scott K. Williams, author of a Web site titled "Black Confederates during the Civil War," "a dozen or so [blacks] rode with Confederate guerrilla forces of Quantrill." Williams' article says, "Most slave owners were pro-Union."

On a Web page of the Missouri Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, an article titled "The Story of a Proud Black Missouri Confederate" can be found. It is a reprint of a story that appeared in a 1903 issue of the Confederate Veteran magazine. It is a story of a white Confederate lieutenant who risked his life to save a black Confederate comrade:

"The Osceola (Mo.) Democrat raised money to send 'Uncle' George McDonald, of St. Clair County, a colored Confederate veteran, and perhaps the only one [attending the reunion], to the Confederate reunion at Columbia last month. 'Uncle' George went with the Confederates from St. Clair County, and fought in several engagements. At Wilson's Creek [Oak Hills], a Minie ball plowed through his hip and a buckshot struck him in the face.

"George lay groaning upon the ground when he was found by Owen Snuffer, lieutenant of his company. Snuffer stooped down, examined the black man's wounds, and stanched the flow of blood from them. 'For God's sake,' cried the suffering negro, 'give me a drink of water.' Snuffer's canteen was empty, but midway between the firing lines was a well. To reach it, the lieutenant was to become the target of sharpshooters, and it meant almost certain death. But with bullets falling around him like hailstones, he pushed forward until the well was reached. And then he discovered that the bucket had been taken away and the windlass removed. The water was far down and the depth unknown. The well was old-fashioned-stone-walled. Owen pulled off his long cavalry boots, and taking one in his teeth, he let himself down slowly, hand over hand, until the water was reached and the boot filled, and then he climbed up, straddling the well and clutching with hands and feet the rocky walls. Reaching the surface again, he picked up the other boot and safely made his way back to the Confederate lines."

Blacks were not the only minorities to serve in the Confederacy. Many American Indians served. They even had their own flag that resembled the first National Flag of the Confederacy, with five additional red stars that represented the Seminoles, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees and Creek Indian nations. Their leader, Gen. Stan Watie, was the only American Indian general on either side in the war.

Locally, Missouri Confederate Gen. Jeff Thompson wrote in his war memoirs of his trusted Indian scout named Ajax.

It is estimated that between 3,500 and 5,000 Jews fought for the Confederacy. Judah P. Benjamin, a Jew, served first as the attorney general for the Confederacy and later as Jefferson Davis' secretary of war.

Despite the Missouri NAACP's claims, the Confederate flag is not a symbol of hate. Many minorities fought for the Confederacy to help defend their homes and families from invading Yankee armies.

Clint E. Lacy of Marble Hill, Mo., is chairman of the Missouri League of Southern Voters.