African Americans and the Civil War

The Civil War was about slavery – while it is claimed by some that the issue was state’s rights, each issue sited as a states rights issue such as the spread of slavery to the territories had its roots in slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation issued on Jan. 1, 1863, did much to change the tone of the war. This Proclamation was highly controversial at the time and some soldiers in the Union Army protested it vigoursly.

At first under general orders to protect property, union soldiers returned slaves to their masters. This began to change in May of 1861 when General Benjamin Butler at Fortress Monroe, Virginia refused to return slaves that came into his area calling them “Contraband of War.” “Contraband” became a term common in the Civil War to refer to escaped slaves.

Colonization to South America, Haiti, and Africa were all considered by the Lincoln administration on what to do with newly freed or escaped slaves.

Before 1863, African Americans were used as teamsters, laborers, scouts,nurses, etc., but not as soldiers in the Union Army. The Union Army began to enlist soldiers in 1863. One of the reasons that many Union generals were reluctant to arm African Americans were that they did not want to lose valuable laborers. There is a lot of controversy about what was the first African American unit.

By the end of the war, approximately, 200,000 African Americans had served in the U.S. army and navy. This was approximately 10% of the Union forces. The Union Army could not have won the war without the effort of these African Americans. Most African American units preformed guard duty, few saw combat. Those that did preformed superbly. While the attack of the 54th Mass. on Battery Wagner in Charleston Harbor in July of 1863 as depicted in the movie “Glory” is perhaps the best known action there were earlier actions such as the attack on the defenses at Port Hudson in May of 1863 and the desperate defense of the Union supply depot at Millikin’s Bend in which newly raised African American soldiers assisted by elements of the 23rd Iowa drove off a determined Confederate attack.

Iowa had an African American regiment, the 60th U.S.C.T. which saw guard duty in Arkansas. 6 companies of this regiment were from Iowa, 4 from Missouri. Every able-bodied African American of military age in Iowa enlisted in this regiment. There was a big pay difference in the amount paid to African American soldiers. African American soldiers were paid $3 a month less and had a clothing allowance deducted from their pay. African Americans for the most part, were not allowed to become officers. The vast majority of officers in African American units were white.

Some African Americans did assist the Confederacy. In the Spring of 1865, the Confederacy did begin to enlist some African Americans, promising them their freedom. African Americans also served as teamsters and laborers.