The Black Union Solder

[Buffalo-Guard]

What if the union had accepted blacks into the ranks sooner?

In general histories of the war, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry is usually presented as being the first African-American regiment in the Union Army to experience the trial of combat. In fact, the 54th Massachusetts' assault on Battery Wagner took place almost two months after the Louisiana Native Guards had stormed a similar Confederate fortification at Port Hudson, Louisiana. They were the first officially mustered black regiment to fight for the Union, as well as the only unit in the Union Army to have black officers as well as white. Owing to the fact that they were far from the spotlight of media attention, their accomplishments were never fully recognized during the war.

For more interesting information on thier story see;

Blacks in the CW\Gulf Islands National Seashore-Louisiana Native Guards.htm

http://www.historynet.com/acw/bllouisiannativeguards/

[matthew mckeon]

Another pre 54th black regiment, was the First South Carolina Volunteers, commanded by Thomas W. Higginson, one of the Secret Six, that supported John Brown. I dimly recall another outfit in Kansas that was quite early. I'll have to check.

[nbforrest]

Yes, one of the Kansas Colored outfits fought at Island Mound, Missouri fairly early in the war (was it the 1st or 2nd KS at Island Mound? I would have to double check). I have heard of Island Mound as being the first time black troops were used in combat...that is probably open to debate, as are most "firsts" in the war.

Respectfully

[Buffalo-Guard]

Parts taken from;
http://www.africanamericans.com/Blac...rsCivilWar.htm

Just as I have followed the story of the Black Confederate, the Black Union Solder also needs his story told. Many times black tried to enlist from the start of the war. To include local and state units but the federal government, refused to reconize this force and even though some claim they were trying to free the slaves, the north had little respect for the black solder and questioned not only his willingness to fight but ability to do so.

Approximately 180,000 black soldiers took up the call to fight for the Union Black regiments, commanded by white officers were raised following the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation.
American blacks had taken part in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. By the mid-nineteenth century, their earlier efforts were all but forgotten.

The formal Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January, 1863, freed all slaves in rebellious states with the exception of those in areas already under Union control.

In 1862, several black regiments were recruited by white officers in the South and West without Presidential or Congressional authorization. In Union-held New Orleans, military governor Gen. Benjamin Butler's 1st, 2nd and 3rd Louisiana Native Guards, the Corps D'Afrique, were formed from existing free black militia units and supervised by Gen. Daniel Ullmann. Many were to resign, however, because of tension in the ranks and the Army's official policy of excluding blacks from leadership positions and officer promotions.

Numerous advances in the employment of black troops took place in 1863, a year in which Gen. Ulysses S. Grant wrote Lincoln, "By arming the Negro we have added a powerful ally." Colored troops were originally restricted to labor and fatigue duties, but the successful skirmishes of 1862 had proved their ability to fight in combat situations.

Once enlisted, black soldiers received basic, sometimes inadequate preparation for field service. Inferior firearms and equipment poor camp conditions and hospital facilities, and a shortage of doctors were not uncommon. Random public assaults on men of color in uniform, violence towards blacks in Northern cities, and mistreatment by white comrades and the enemy afflicted the black troops. The fact that black soldiers were paid less was a particularly offensive issue; black enlisted men and officers received only $7 per month whereas white privates earned $13.
More than 200 African-American U.S. troops from the Civil War were buried in Alexandria's National Cemetery, many of whom died in the city's hospitals after succumbing to disease or wounds received at Petersburg.
Once the nation was at peace, a number of black regiments stayed in service until 1867, especially in the South where they assisted the Army of Occupation and Reconstruction efforts. Many black soldiers and veterans cooperated with the Freedmen's Bureau, created in 1865 to help with education, employment and the overall transition of newly-freed slaves into society

[matthew mckeon]

Dear Buffalo Guard,
Good post. Here are some additional facts.

Supply to United States Colored Troops units could be variable. However some outfits received the latest in equipment and weapons, like the Henry repeating rifle.

In the black regiment I studied, army service was an opportunity to attend school, form landbuying associations, and base a later career.

Discrimination in pay (initially black troops received lower wages than white troops) was part of the effort to paint blacks as not "real soldiers." It was protested by black leaders, white officers such as Thomas Wentworth Higginson, and the men themselves. Famously the 54th refused pay until the discrimination was eliminated, but other black units did similar things. Because of these efforts, pay was equalized between whites and blacks.

The postwar Army retained two cavalry regiments and two infantry regiments made up of black troops, the famous "Buffalo Soldiers."

Most importantly, black men became a major part of the Union war effort, an important aid in the struggle for political rights after the war.

[gary]

Like Men of Color. You can get the hardback for less than $10.

[ole]

The postwar Army retained two cavalry regiments and two infantry regiments made up of black troops, the famous "Buffalo Soldiers."

Which is where "Black Jack" Pershing picked up his nickname.
Ole

[larry_cockerham]

The Buffalo Soldiers were in the command of Gen. Edward Hatch of Maine who served here in the Tennessee Campaign under Gen. James Wilson (cavalry) before his being appointed to command of the western district after the war. A lumberman prior to the war, he became a career soldier.

[gary]

Somewhat off topic, but the Buffalo Soldiers are going to set up a museum in the Presidio of the Land o' Rice a Roni & Cable Cars. Bring a warm jacket as San Francisco can get cold in the summers. I'll post more details as I find them.

[samgrant]

Here's one interesting slant on the subject:

http://www.umsl.edu/~libweb/blackstudies/civwar.htm

Any comments?