Black Units and leaders in the Civil War

Abstract

“All persons held as slaves within any States…in rebellion against the United States,” it declared, “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” Abraham Lincoln made the famous proclamation on January 1st 1863 (History.com). This paved the way for the African Americans to be a part of the American Armed Forces. They fought valiantly and brought the Union the glory it searched for. Needless to say that there was a lot of sacrifice that went into Lincoln's proclamation, but nonetheless it gave tidings to the Blacks of a time where they would be assimilated into the mainstream. The war fought during 1861 - 1865 eventually resulted in the emancipation of Blacks in the United States.

Black Units and leaders in the Civil War

Introduction

Historically, the Blacks had taken part in all major American conflicts. The administrations however, banned them from being part of the Army. The Navy was a little more progressive in this regard, and they had Blacks serving within their ranks since 1861 (Henry, C. 1995). Once the Civil War broke between the Union and Confederate armies, the famous orator Fredrick Douglas pushed for Blacks to be a part of the Army. According to him, no one would be able to question their right to be a regular citizen of the United States once they had enlisted. These and other similar efforts led to Lincoln's announcement and in the long run the emancipation of the Black people.

The War broke out in 1861, and the warring factions were the North and the South. The North was for a voluntary Union of all the states, whereas the South pushed for total independence from the North. At the time that the South favored slavery due to the large land owning families that predominantly lived there. There was slavery in the North as well, but they had abandoned it, thereby resulting in the opposition from the South. Abraham Lincoln was a war time President occupied by the gravity of the situation that confronted him. Initially, even Lincoln had his reservations about arming the Blacks. Their ranks would have included escaped slaves, and he thought that it may cause difficulties in the way of victory. This decision eventually had the desired results, and the Blacks became part of the Union Army and not the Confederates. The war was one of the bloodiest chapters in American History, but still some historians would consider it as a moment of glory for the Union and the United States. In the pages below we will discuss the advent of Blacks in the Unionist Army and actions of some units individually. We will also see how the leaders recognized their importance in the Army. We would later take a look at the Black leaders involved in the Civil War and how their action paved the way for granting of rights to their race.

Discussion

Black Induction

By 1862, the war was in full swing and the losses suffered by the Unionist Army forced Lincoln to rethink his stance ...