black men were denied enlistment in the war effort by the North at the beginnig of the war, after war drained on, Lincoln authorized black regiments, who were not as well supplied and trained as their white counterparts. Southern blacks were also enlisted in southern armies and promised freedom if they joined, since they were all flocking to the northern armies. Ofcourse it was in their interest, since they were promised alleged freedom. I would recommend if you watched the movie Glory, you will get a better idea