Hi Stephanie: There were approximately 225,000 black civilians who worked for the Union Army and the U.S. Government during the Civil War. They were: Teamsters, Laundry workers, Nurses, Spies, Cooks, Stevadores, Foragers, Servants, Scouts, Blacksmiths,and any other jobs that they could perform, Many were escaped slaves,"contrabands" and many were free who needed work. Fred Foote was a slave who was recruited by the Conn. Cavalry as a scout/ blacksmith in Fairfax county, Virginia and served to the end of the war. My grandfather said he was a "messenger boy" for the Confederate Army, but he was ten years old in 1862 and an excellent horseman/rider. Your gg grandfather was only six years old in 1862, but it's possible. Lloyd

P.S. Are you related to Dr. James P. Comer, Md.? I have a book by him, called, "Maggie's American Dream".