They sometimes grew food for the union army (while the plantation owners were away).
African Americans on southern plantations took advantage of the disturbance created by the war to engage in sabotage, and join the war in different ways. They were enlisted to serve in the Infantry, worked as spies or guides for Union forces or served as laborers in the camps. As expected, all of the southern conflicts against the Union's efforts to restrain slavery, fueled the slaves' rebellion against their white masters.
