Final answer:
In March 1865, the Confederate Congress voted to enlist black men, but only about three dozen responded and they did not participate in combat or receive weapons, maintaining the negligible role of African Americans in the Confederate military service.
Step-by-step explanation:
Confederate Congress and Black Soldiers
In March 1865, the Confederate Congress did indeed pass a law to enlist black men as soldiers in a desperate attempt to replenish their dwindling forces. However, according to historian James Robertson, no blacks were officially accepted into Confederate military service. If there had been any organized black units, evidence would likely exist in the extensive military records from the war. The few that answered the recruitment—about three dozen—never saw combat nor were they armed. This initiative was met with criticism, evident in Howell Cobb's remark concerning the contradiction of enlisting slaves while supporting a society based on slavery.
Understanding the history of black soldiers during the Civil War involves contrasting perspectives between Union and Confederate forces. The Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, marked a turning point for the enlistment of black soldiers in the Union army and navy, a practice that was not permitted in large scale until that time.
The Confederate's late effort to enlist blacks was more of a desperation move than a change in ideology. There was a deep-seated belief that blacks should not serve as soldiers, exemplified by their reluctance to equip these few black recruits with weapons or send them into battle. The overall contribution of blacks to the Confederate military effort remained negligible to the point where it did not alter any established notions of black military service within the Confederacy.