African Americans During The Civil War

Danni Lopez- Rogina

View On African American Soldiers

• "Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pockets, and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States." - - Frederick Douglass

A group of "contrabands." [Stereograph] ca.1861 published

later

Black Slaves who escaped to Union Lines were called Contrabands.

There are 3 unnamed contrabands as the bottom of this picture.

This has images of

white officers of the 2nd

Rhode Island Camp at Camp

Brightwood in the District of

Columbia.

29th Regiment From Connecticut

Part of Company E, 4th U.S. Colored Infantry

Numbers

• July 17, 1862 - Congress passed two acts allowing the enlistment of African-Americans, but official enrollment happened only after September, 1862 issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.

• 180,000 African-Americans comprising 163 units served in the Union Army during the Civil War

• More served in the Union Navy

• The most widely known battle fought by African-Americans was the assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, by the 54th Massachusetts on July 18, 1863. The 54th volunteered to lead the assault on the strongly-fortified Confederate positions. The soldiers of the 54th scaled the fort's parapet, and were only driven back after brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Buffalo Soldiers

• Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The nickname was given by the Native American tribes they fought; the term eventually came to include six units:

• 9th Cavalry Regiment • 10th Cavalry Regiment • 24th Infantry Regiment• 25th Infantry Regiment• 27th Cavalry Regiment• 28th Cavalry Regiment

Cathay Williams aka. Willam Cathay

• First African American female to enlist in U.S. Army

• Posed as a man under pseudonym

• She was found out when hospitalized and discharged

• Company A, 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment, Buffalo Soldiers

Sources

• http://www.americancivilwar.com/colored/histofcoloredtroops.html

• http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/history/aa_history.htm

• http://www.greatdreams.com/war/infantry54.jpg• Liberty. Equality. Power. Textbook• Frankie Baker • Wikipedia.org