WandaCKeesey

BLACK TROOPS IN THE CIVIL WAR
By Wanda C. Keesey

There was a time that the average citizen didn't know that the Black men in the United States served as soldiers during the Civil War. Now there are websites that detail the Black soldier through history and many books that give accounts of the troop's trials and heroism.

Why the Black man wanted to fight was a puzzle in itself. He wasn't recognized as a citizen, nor as a person. He had no rights; he couldn't vote, or own property, he wasn't able to run for office, or have a business of his own. He was (even in the North) little more than a shadow that walked the street, worked hard, and tried to keep his family sheltered and fed. He was tormented and killed. During the riots of 1863 in New York City, they were the brunt of every white man's exasperation with being forced into Army service (conscription began in July 1863). They felt as though they were being forced to fight for the Black man's freedom, so they tried to get rid of that small population in their midst.

Most folks know nothing or little about the slave industry in the American Colonies and later the States of America. American Slavery, 1619-1877 is a book by Peter Kolchin that give facts and information on the way slavery evolved from an import business to a self sustained enterprise.

Abraham Lincoln signed The Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, so why did slavery go on to 1877? And did it ever really end? Yes, the active and lawful position of another human being did end. Mr. Kolchin tells the reader about the life of a slave and how his/her life changed.

The Black man was one of the most loyal citizens of the United States. He tried to join the Army of the Union from the beginning of the war. Though they were not permitted to join as soldiers, they did serve in passive positions. The Sable Arm, Black Troops in the Union Army, 1861-1865 by Dudley Taylor Cornish, is one of the best books on their struggle to defend their freedom (even though this freedom was indeed still limited even for the freed Blacks). Another is Army Life in the Black Regiment, by Thomas Wentworth Higginson (1823-1911). Being a contemporary of this era, Mr. Higginson brings us the words and troubles as told by the Black soldiers. He also instills his own feelings of respect for these soldiers and details events as relayed to him.

One of the most renown writers of our time, James M. McPherson has also written a book called The Negro's Civil War, How American Blacks Felt and Acted During the War for the Union. Mr. McPherson gives us a through history background and insight into the how the population reacted to the Blacks around them.

Blacks in the Federal Army were often relegated to clean-up, and maintenance as digging latrines, putting up shelters, cooking and disposing of garbage (including the severed limbs of the wounded), and burial of the dead. After Lee invaded Pennsylvania in July of 1863, coming within a mile of its Capital city, Blacks were trained to fight and sent to battle. The movie Glory depicts the bravery, problems and conflicts of these first time fighters.