You don't "win" the Medal of Honor (it's just the MOH, no Congressional), you are awarded it.  It was also counterintuitive to dump thousands of slaves into "freedom" to which they were wholly unprepared for.  I guess people such as Frederick Douglass, and others who reported on black combat troops fighting for the south were wrong then..even though he states he saw them, under arms, participating, as early as the 1st Battle of Bull Run.  History is written by the victors, and it sure wouldn't fit the narrative of a "war" to "free the slaves" if blacks were acknowledged as fighting on the "other" side.  There were free blacks in the south, and even black slave owners.  Again, economics, not racism.  As for Walter E, I suppose you COULD ask him what he's basing his statements on.., but then...are we allowed to ask liberal academics what they base their claims on?  Uh, yeah...thought not.