Black Union Soldiers in the Civil WarThis book refutes the historical slander that blacks did not fight for their emancipation from slavery. At first harshly rejected in their attempts to enlist in the Union army, blacks were eventually accepted into the service--often through the efforts of individual generals who, frustrated with bureaucratic inaction in the face of dwindling forces, overrode orders from the secretary of war and the president himself. By the end of the war, black soldiers had numbered over 187,000 and served in 167 regiments. Seventeen were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor. Theirs was a remarkable achievement whose full story is here told for the first time. |
Contents
1861 | 7 |
1862 | 23 |
1863 | 71 |
1863 | 115 |
1864 | 163 |
1865 | 195 |
E Summary of Union Losses During the Civil War | 210 |
H Black Union Recipients of the Congressional Medal | 216 |
237 | |
247 | |
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Common terms and phrases
abolitionist April arms assault attack August authority Banks batteries battle black flag black officers black regiments black soldiers black troops brigade Butler camps Captain captured Cavalry Civil Colored Troops command Company Confederate Congress Corps d'Afrique defense Department duty Dyer's Compendium Emancipation Proclamation enemy engagements enlisted fighting fire Forrest Fort Pillow Fort Wagner fought Free Military School fugitive slaves garrison Governor guns Heavy Artillery Hereafter cited Hunter Ibid Island issued June Kansas Colored killed Lieutenant Lincoln Major Market Heights Massachusetts McPherson ment military Milliken's Bend Mississippi mustered Negro Troops Official Records Petersburg Port Hudson President prisoners raised rebellion rebels recruiting and organizing Secretary of War Secretary Stanton Sergeant Skirmish slavery South Carolina surrender Tennessee Thomas U.S. Colored U.S. Colored Troops U.S.C. Infantry Ullmann Union Army Union forces United States Colored USC Infantry Virginia Volunteers Wagner white officers white troops William wounded wrote