Blacks in the American Civil War
Despite extreme prejudices from the white society, African American soldiers were true heroes in the American Civil War. At the beginning of the Civil War, Lincoln called for a recruitment of 75,000 men. Many blacks came to volunteer, but were sent away unwanted. Most of the white population considered the Civil War to be a 'White man's war.' Gov. David Todd had said, "This is a white man's government, and we are able to defend and protect it" (McRae). Although very few, there were some white generals who wanted to recruit blacks into the Army. Lincoln's reasoning behind not letting blacks into the Army was because he wanted to preserve the Union, without having to deal with the issue of slavery. In addition, he did not want the Border States to separate from the Union and join the Confederacy. If he let blacks join the Army, then white soldiers would have refused to fight with them. Many people felt that blacks were not able to fight as well as whites, and considered it a waste to enlist them. Gov. John Andrews of Massachusetts said, "It is not my opinion that our generals, when any man comes to the standard and desires to defend the flag, will find it important to light a candle and
In actual numbers, black soldiers comprised 10% of the entire Union Army. see what his complexion is, or to consult the family Bible to ascertain whether his grandfather came from the banks of the Thanes or of the Senegal" (McRae). The Confederate army did not consider the usage of slaves throughout the war. The United States Civil War began as an effort to save the Union, and ended in a fight to abolish slavery. Fredrick Douglass, a powerful black leader in New York, saw the Civil War as a road to emancipation for the slaves. Although known as the "Great Emancipator," Lincoln also thought that blacks were inferior to whites in battle. There were doubts about this group from the beginning. Blacks were to receive $10 a month and $3. Casualties were high and only sixty-two blacks survived the fight. The most widely known battle fought by blacks, was the assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. In the beginning when they were caught the Union sent them to their owners, but after a period of time the Union decided to let them perform support service for the Northern war effort. Then make use of the offers Government has made you, for if you are not willing to fight your way up to office, you are not worthy of it. White soldiers and officers believed that blacks lacked the courage to fight and fight well.
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