During the Civil War, the Union established and maintained regiments of Black soldiers. This became possible in 1862 through passage of the Confiscation Act, which freed slaves of rebellious slaveholders. Also the Militia Act was passed, which authorized the president to use former slaves as soldiers. President Lincoln was initially reluctant to recruit Black soldiers. This changed in January 1863, with the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring freedom for all slaves in Confederate states. Twenty-six Medal of Honor awards were conferred upon African American service members during the Civil War. A total of 16 Medals of Honor were awarded to the Black soldiers of the the United States Colored Troops (USCT). Presented below are just a handful of those 16 courageous soldiers.
Powhatan Beaty was born into slavery on October 8, 1837, in Richmond, Va. After serving in the Black Brigade of Cincinnati, Powhatan Beaty enlisted as a private in the Union Army but was promoted to sergeant shortly at the age of twenty-five. Beaty and his 47 member squad became the first members of the 5th United States Colored Troops.
Powhatan Beaty was now the first sergeant of Company G, an all Black regiment. Company G was ordered to attack the center of the Confederate position of New Market Heights. The attack was met with extraordinary Confederate fire and was repelled. Company G's color bearer was killed during the retreat, so Beaty returned through 600 yards of enemy fire to recover the flag.
All eight officers of Company G were killed. With no officers left, first sergeant Beaty took command and bravely led his men in an aggressive attack, successfully pushing the Confederates out of their defensive position. Despite the heavy casualties, the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm was a Union victory. For his actions, Beaty was commended on the battlefield by General Benjamin Butler, and seven months later, on April 6, 1865, awarded the Medal of Honor.
The first Black recipient of the Medal of Honor was Army Sgt. William H. Carney. Carney was born into slavery in Norfolk, Virginia on February 29, 1840. Carney learned how to read and write, defying unjust 1800s anti-literacy laws that made it illegal for anyone to teach African Americans.
At age 23, Carney heeded the call for African Americans to join a local militia unit and enlisted in March 1863. Carney joined the Union Army as part of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, the first Black regiment from the North to serve in the war. Carney served in Company C, and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. It was during his unit’s first major battle that Carney saw the flag bearer get hit by bullets. Sergeant Carney retrieved the flag before it hit the ground and continued to march it forward.
Despite suffering several serious gunshot wounds himself, Carney kept the symbol of the Union held high as he crawled up the hill to the walls of Fort Wagner. He planted the flag in the sand at the base of the fort and held it upright until his near-lifeless body was rescued. Carney’s injuries resulted in an honorable discharge. Almost four decades, in May, 1900, Sergeant Carney received the Medal of Honor for his gallant action.
Joachim Pease, Civil War Medal of Honor, was a man whose heroism shone bright for one brief moment. Pease was born in 1842 on the island of Togo and enlisted in the U.S Navy on Jan. 12, 1862. After enlisting, Pease joined the Union steamer Kearsarge as one of 14 Black crew members.
The Confederacy ship "The Alabama" captured or burned 67 American merchant ships, including many whalers, between September 1862 and June 1864. Pease and the Kearsarge left port on February 5, 1862, in pursuit of "The Alabama". On June 19, 1864, off the coast of Cherbourg, France, the Alabama followed the Kearsarge out to the open sea and opened fire. Pease and the other gunners in his crew returned fire. Pease showed exceptional skills in helping to sink the Confederate warship.
The acting commander of Pease’s division, wrote that the sailor’s conduct “in battle fully sustained his reputation as one of the best men in the ship.” Pease was exposed to tremendous amounts of heat and smoke from cannon fire—and was a prime target for the enemy ship. According to his Medal of Honor citation, he “exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended by the divisional officer for gallantry under fire.”
Christian Fleetwood was a free Black man born on July 21, 1840 in Baltimore, MD. In 1860, Fleetwood graduated from Ashmun Institute in Oxford, Pennsylvania. During August of 1863, Fleetwood enlisted in the 4th Regiment United States Colored Infantry. Being so well-educated, he received an immediate promotion to the rank of Sergeant Major. On September 29th, 1864, Fleetwood and his regiment fought in the "Battle of Chaffin's Farm" on the outskirts of Richmond.
The 4th Regiment was ordered to charge the Confederate fortifications, with Fleetwood leading the left flank. As the men ran forward into the fierce fire of the enemy, two of the flag color bearers went down. Sergeant Alfred Hilton, himself carrying a flag, seized the second flag and continued to advance. He was soon wounded, but, Fleetwood and another soldier ran forward to catch the flags before they hit the ground.
The Confederates kept up a heavy fire, but Fleetwood continued forward under heavy fire until it became clear that the unit could not penetrate the enemy defenses. Retreating to the reserve line, he used the flag to rally a small group of men and continue the fight. Six months later, on April 6, 1865, Christian Fleetwood was awarded his country's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor.
The first Black regiments to serve in the Civil War were volunteer units made up of free Black men. These included the 1st North Carolina Colored Volunteers, 5th Massachusetts (Cavalry), 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 54th Massachusetts (Infantry), 55th Massachusetts (Infantry), 29th Connecticut (Infantry), 30th Connecticut (Infantry), and 31st Infantry Regiment. In May 1863, the War Department established the Bureau of Colored Troops for the purpose of recruiting African-American soldiers. These became the United States Colored Troops (USCT) and existing volunteer units were converted into USCT regiments.
USCT regiments also served heroically at the Battle of the Crater (Virginia), the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm (Virginia), the Battle of Fort Wagner (South Carolina), and the Battle of Nashville (Tennessee). They were also among soldiers at the fall of Richmond (Virginia) and were present when the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered at Appomattox. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, perhaps the most famous Black regiment, was actually the second free Black unit to see service during the Civil War.
The 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment had also been raised in early 1863. Their first military action was at the Battle of Island Mound (Missouri), at which the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers were instrumental in ensuring a Union victory. They also fought at Battle of Cabin Creek, July 1-2, 1863 in Mayes County, Oklahoma. That early July engagement was overshadowed by the far more significant Battle of Gettysburg, which also began on July 1st. It became the largest battle of the Civil War.
The 1st Kansas also suffered significant losses during the conflict at Battle of Cabin Creek. Just a year after it was formed, at the Battle of Poison Spring in Ouachita County, Arkansas, the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment lost nearly half its strength in what resulted in a Confederate victory. It was also the greatest loss of any Kansas regiment during the war. Other state volunteers made up of mostly Black soldiers included the 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry, the 29th Connecticut (Colored) Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the 30th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and the 31st Infantry Regiment (Colored).
A lesser-known all-Black unit was the 1st Louisiana Native Guard, which was formed in occupied New Orleans in September 1862—even before the Emancipation Proclamation. Its origins can be traced to a Confederate unit of the same name, which was made up of Creoles of color. It was disbanded in April 1862. The Louisiana State Legislature had just passed a law in January 1862 that allowed only free White males to serve in the militia. As it was a militia unit, it is often overlooked for its role in the Civil War.
From September 1862 to May 1863, the Louisiana Native Guard (also known as the Corps d’Afrique) was primarily used as a labor detail that chopped wood, gathered supplies and dug earthworks. It then participated in the Siege of Fort Hudson, where it also suffered high casualties. By April 1864, the Louisiana Native Guard was dissolved, owing to poor treatment by White soldiers and difficult field conditions. Yet, some members of the unit joined the newly organized 73rd and 74th Regiments of the United States Colored Troops of the Union Army.
Those USCT regiments were the precursors to the “Buffalo Soldiers” regiments. They were posted in the West and Southwest, mainly to quell disturbances between settlers and Native Americans. The Native Americans (either Comanche, Apache, or Cheyenne) were the first to use the term to identify their Black opponents. Eventually, the term was used to refer to all Black soldiers. They saw service in the American Old West, the Spanish-American War, and the Philippine-American War.
Robert A. Pinn was born enslaved on March 1, 1843 in Perry Township Ohio. He joined the 19th Ohio Infantry Regiment as a civilian worker, since Black troops were not allowed to enlist. He marched south with the regiment, and despite his non-military status, he fought at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.
President Abraham Lincoln authorized the use of Black troops in combat after issuing the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Pinn enlisted in June 1863 and joined Company I of the 5th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment. He was appointed sergeant on October 18, 1863, and later as first sergeant on February 29, 1864. He marched from Norfolk, Virginia, and fought guerilla forces in southern Virginia and North Carolina.
Pinn was also at the battles of Chaffin's Farm and New Market Heights and Fort Harrison. He was wounded on September 29th, 1864, while leading his company against the enemy's works in Richmond during the Battle of Chaffin's Farm. For his actions, Pinn was wounded three times. The wound to his shoulder left his arm disabled.
He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm six months later, on April 6, 1865, by President Lincoln, nine days before his assassination. After returning to Ohio, Pinn worked in teaming and contracting until the spring of 1874. He then sold his business and studied at Oberlin Academy from 1874 to 1876 and Oberlin College from 1876 to 1877.
Aaron Anderson was born in Rogers, Arkansas in 1811. He later moved to and lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he worked as a cook until he joined the Navy at age 52. He was serving as an oarsman on a small boat that was sent to attack Confederate forces on Mattox Creek, Virginia. Firstly, the Union arms a boat with a howitzer and staffs it with sailors. It sets off from the USS Don led by Ensign Summers. Anderson and a number of other Black landsmen worked the oars on the boat, while Boatswain's Mate Patrick Mullen manned the howitzer and Ensign Summers acted as commander.
The sailors weren’t alone as seventy soldiers headed up Mattox Creek by foot. In addition, the South’s snipers were in effect. While they were keen shots, the Union foot soldiers manage to get through. The sailors came under fire from some 400 Confederate troops on the riverbank. The boat’s commander, an Ensign Summers ordered Aaron Anderson and crew to sail towards the empty Confederate boats so he could sabotage them. Enemy fire was intense and the boat began taking on water from damage. With the schooners in flames, the boat began retreating downstream through heavy fire from the Confederates.
Anderson and others steered the boat down the creek with the support of the other landsmen dumping water. Anderson continued firing a howitzer until they had gotten to safety. They successfully escaped from the Confederate force, and although the boat was badly damaged, the only casualty was one landsman slightly wounded. For his actions he was presented with the Medal of Honor.
Robert Blake was the 2nd African American to perform a Medal of Honor action. Blake was born into slavery in Virginia. In June 1862, his owner's plantation was burned during a Union naval expedition up the Santee River. Blake was one of 400 slaves that was sent to North Island in Winyah Bay. While on North Island, Robert Blake answered a call to join the Navy.
Blake had been transferred to the gunboat USS Marblehead on December 25, 1863. Early that morning, in the Stono River, the Marblehead came under fire from a Confederate howitzer at Legareville on Johns Island. Lieutenant Commander Meade jumped from his bed and ran onto the quarter deck to give the order to return fire. Blake went to the ship's gun deck and was immediately knocked down by an exploding Confederate shell.
The explosion had killed a powder-boy manning one of the guns. Blake had no assigned combat role and could have retreated to relative safety below decks, but he instead chose to take over the powder boy's duties. He stripped to the waist and began running powder boxes to the gun loaders.
When Lieutenant Commander Mead asked him what he was doing, he replied "Went down to the rocks to hide my face, but the rocks said there is no hiding place here. So here I am, Sir." The Confederates eventually abandoned their position, leaving a gun behind. For his actions during the firefight, Blake was awarded the Medal of Honor four months later, on April 16, 1864.
Andrew Jackson Smith, the son of an enslaved Black woman and her White owner, was born in Lyon County, Kentucky September 3, 1843. Smith enlisted in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry, which was largely recruited from free Black men across the North. He distinguished himself on November 30th 1864 by saving his regimental colors, after the color bearer was killed during a bloody charge at the Battle of Honey Hill, South Carolina.
In the late afternoon, as part of the Savannah Campaign led by General William T. Sherman, the 55th Massachusetts Infantry pursued enemy skirmishers and conducted a running fight. They ran into a swampy area backed by a rise where the Confederate Army awaited. The surrounding woods and thick underbrush impeded infantry movement and artillery support.
As the Confederates repelled other units, the 55th and 54th regiments continued to move into flanking positions. During the action the regiment’s color bearer was hit by an exploding shell. Smith caught the flag, carried it through the battle, and was wounded.
Although half of the officers and a third of the enlisted men engaged in the fight were killed or wounded, corporal Smith continued to expose himself to the enemy fire by carrying the colors throughout the battle. He was promoted to color sergeant for his gallantry. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Smith was the last Black Civil War soldier to receive a Medal of Honor.
The Civil War, which ultimately liberated the country’s slaves, began in 1861. But preservation of the Union, not the abolition of slavery, was the initial objective of President Lincoln. He initially believed in gradual emancipation, with the federal government compensating the slaveholders for the loss of their “property.” But in September 1862 he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all slaves residing in states in rebellion against the United States as of January 1, 1863, were to be free. Thus the Civil War became, in effect, a war to end slavery.
Black leaders such as author William Wells Brown, physician and author Martin R. Delany, and Frederick Douglass vigorously recruited Blacks into the Union armed forces. Douglass declared in the North Star, “Who would be free themselves must strike the blow.” By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 Black men (10% of the Union Army) served as soldiers in the U.S. Army. Another 19,000 served in the Navy. The mortality rate for these units was exceeding high. One of every five Black soldiers in the conflict died, a 35% higher rate than other troops.
Black soldiers served in artillery and infantry and performed all noncombat support functions that sustain an army, as well. Black carpenters, chaplains, cooks, guards, laborers, nurses, scouts, spies, steamboat pilots, surgeons, and teamsters also contributed to the war cause. There were nearly 80 Black commissioned officers. Black women, who could not formally join the Army, nonetheless served as nurses, spies, and scouts. The most famous being Harriet Tubman who scouted for the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers.
Because of prejudice against them, Black units were not used in combat as extensively as they might have been. Nevertheless, the soldiers served with distinction in a number of battles. Despite the many disadvantages under which they labored, Black troops who saw battle performed admirably. Black Americans participated directly in fights at Milliken’s Bend, Louisiana; Port Hudson, Louisiana; Fort Wagner, South Carolina, where the famed 54th Massachusetts Regiment lost two-thirds of its officers and nearly half its enlisted men.
By war’s end, 16 Black soldiers had been awarded the Medal of Honor for their valor. In addition to the perils of war faced by all Civil War soldiers, Black soldiers faced additional problems stemming from racial prejudice. Racial discrimination was prevalent even in the North, and discriminatory practices permeated the U.S. military. Segregated units were formed with Black enlisted men and typically commanded by White officers and Black non-commissioned officers. The 54th Massachusetts was commanded by Robert Shaw and the 1st South Carolina by Thomas Wentworth Higginson, both pro-abolitionist White men.
Black soldiers were initially paid $10 per month from which $3 was automatically deducted for clothing, resulting in a net pay of $7. In contrast, White soldiers received $13 per month from which no clothing allowance was drawn. In June 1864 Congress granted equal pay to the U.S. Colored Troops and made the action retroactive. Black soldiers received the same rations and supplies. In addition, they received comparable medical care. The Black troops, however, faced greater peril than White troops when captured by the Confederate Army.
In 1863 the Confederate Congress threatened to punish severely officers of Black troops and to enslave Black soldiers. As a result, President Lincoln issued General Order 233, threatening reprisal on Confederate prisoners of war for any mistreatment of Black troops. Although the threat generally restrained the Confederates, Black captives were typically treated more harshly than White captives. The most heinous known example of abuse, was when Confederate soldiers shot to death Black Union soldiers captured at Fort Pillow, TN. General Nathan B. Forrest witnessed the massacre and did nothing to stop it.
Known affectionally as "Moses", Harriet courageously led many slaves toward freedom as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, she served as a spy, scout, nurse and cook in the US Army. She became the first American woman to lead an army expedition to rescue more than 700 enslaved people during a raid in South Carolina.
Robert was an enslaved man, that gained his freedom, by commandeered the Confederate ship "the Planter", and turning it over to the Union Navy. He served in both the House and Senate of his home state, South Carolina. His congressional career focused on fighting for African-American civil rights, for the Republican Party, and for the betterment of South Carolina.
She became the first Black woman to serve as a nurse in the Navy, working as a "First-class boy", cook, laundress, mender–anything to get food to eat. Eventually, Ann assumed the role of a nurse, leading to the beginning of a profession that would last generations. She became the first woman to apply and be granted a pension based on her own military service.
He advocated both Black migration and abolition. And he has been called the "Father of Black Nationalism," long before Marcus Garvey and W.E.B DuBois lifted the banner for Black liberation and independence. The first Black person to receive an officers commissioned. Delaney was commissioned a major in the 52nd U.S. Colored Troops Regiment.
She escaped slavery and began a remarkable journey. She was a nurse, caretaker, educator, and friend to the First South Carolina Volunteer Infantry. Susie Taylor became the first Black woman to openly teach Black soldiers in a regimental school. She dedicated herself to educating and uplifting her fellow Black soldiers, teaching them to read.
Augusta was a surgeon, veteran of the Civil War, and the first Black professor of medicine in the United States. He received a major's commission as surgeon for African-American troops, which caused angered many Whites. He was also appointed to lead the Freedman's Hospital in Washington, D.C., In 1863, becoming the first Black hospital administrator in U.S. history.
Knowing that slaves are considered incapable of intelligence, Mary poses as a slave in the Confederate White House to spy on President Jefferson Davis. Being literate, she was able to read letters and documents that were left out in the president's private study. President Davis came to realize there was a leak in the house, but did not suspect Mary until late in the war.
A former slave that became a spy, an insurgent, a statesman, a fierce advocate of the working class, a civil rights activist and a warrior against oppression and tyranny. These are what describes Abraham Galloway. A man of influential status, a renown speaker who wasn't afraid to speak what was on his mind. He pushed for full citizenship for African Americans.