Rhode Island on Aug. 4, '62 also commenced attempting to enlist negro troops into a 6th Regiment, but a lack of recruits aborted the effort more than the disinterest of the U.S. War Department.
Major-General Hunter, earlier in 1862 in South Carolina, had formed a regiment of contrabands, which caused some complaint in Congress, etc. So amid the controversy, two Senators approached Lincoln proposing to raise two negro regiments...
From the Camden Democrat, Camden, New Jersey, Aug. 9, 1862:
And from the Philadelphia Enquirer;
But the gist of the headline was not entirely correct.
In fact, evidently, President Lincoln had determined upon the necessity of expanding recruiting to negro troops, particularly contrabands/freedmen in the South, so as to most effectively disorder the Confederacy and empower the Union, by July 22, 1862, and developed his own plans relative thereto:
(From Hay and Nicolay, Lincoln, vol. 6).
In spite of the above, President Lincoln did not order the War Department to disband Hunter's existing South Carolina contraband regiment, but instead the War Department ordered it to be perfected and fully equipped...
Yet due to existing army regulations, the army paymasters would not pay the men, as they were not in federal service; and after a few months all but one company disbanded.
Here's a sketch of the 1st SC volunteers drilling in June, 1862, which appeared in Frank Leslies' Illustrated newspaper in August, 1862.
Lincoln already had laws allowing for the mustering into U.S. service of negro troops...
The 300,000 Militia which Lincoln called forth from the Northern States on August 4, the same day he declined the two offered negro regiments from the north, were to be capable of battle service, besides garrison duties, etc., and within several months some of those militia regiments subsequently fought at Gettysburg, and Port Hudson alongside negro troops.
And in fact the Kansas regiment of colored men offered to Lincoln on August 4, and declined at that time for federal service, was subsequently organized regardless, and accepted into U.S. Service as the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry (later 79th U.S.C.T.) in January, 1863:
The remaining company of Hunter's contrabands was meanwhile employed in late 1862 as the cadre for the 1st South Carolina Volunteers (later 33rd U.S.C.T.), finally mustered into federal service also in early 1863, after the emancipation proclamation went into effect (January 1).
Forum Host
Bringing the