In the early years of the Civil War, a dilemma concerning the emancipation of African-Americans in order to save the war effort arose. Just like the War of 1812 and the American Revolution, it was temporarily allowed because of the need for soldiers. The War of 1812 was a conflict between the United States and Great Britain that lasted until February of 1815, caused by the fact that Britain still hadn’t come to respect the United States as a full-pledged country. As well as the fact that the British were forcibly drafting American sailors and blocking the United States’ trade with France, as part of the long-standing war between Great Britain and France for superiority. The first man to enlist was Charles Ball, an escaped slave who had a choice to either row out to the British fleet and serve the king, or volunteer in the American navy, and no doubt he chose the latter. After he enlisted, many others followed, eventually making up almost fifteen percent of the U.S. Navy. Although it was banned, a shortage compelled the navy to accept anyone. Almost fifty years later, officials faced the same problem with the shortage in hands. Before the emancipation of African-Americans, a number of blacks wanted to serve in the army but however a Federal Law, the Uniform Militia Act of 1792, banned African-Americans from enlisting or bearing arms. The Uniform Militia Act of 1792 was a legislation enacted by the second United States Congress in 1792, specifically the Second Militia Act that was passed in May 8, 1792 that stated that every “free able-bodied white male citizen” between the ages of 18 and 45 is to serve in the militia, if needed. It indirectly excluded black males, which meant they could not enlist. It was hypocritical, because they had served in the War of 1812 and the American Revolution. However, the need for personnel and the decrease in white volunteers in the Union Army had forced superiors in the militia to rethink their priorities, thus reconsidering and lifting the ban. The Lincoln Administration was afraid that ceding and granting blacks freedom would lead to rebellion from nearby states. Yet, it was crucial to the Civil War, that African-Americans be granted freedom, which would cause them to enlist and join the armies, on both the Union and Confederate Army. A large number of African-Americans had served on both the Union and Confederate Army, yet some people do not acknowledge their service, stating that most African-Americans had not contributed to the war effort and were only working small jobs off the battlefield.
Many do not recognize the African-Americans’ service during the Civil War, arguing that the roles they played in the war were not as significant. African-Americans were working outside the battlefield, in positions in the artilleries and infantries, and as chaplains, cooks, guards, nurses, and surgeons more than on the battlefield. It has been brought up over the course of history, that there are several pieces of evidence that show no blacks on the battlefield. These pieces specifically picture the white soldiers, and make sure to not include any blacks in the shots, for purposes none other than segregation and racism. People use Harriet Tubman as their main example when mentioning that blacks are not significant to the war. Another argument states that there are no records that blacks were receiving compensation from the Confederate side and no documentation whatsoever of any African-Americans who served in the war. The Confederate Army was anti-abolitionist in every way. In the battle of Fort Wagner in 1863, the 54 Massachusetts Regiment was significantly outnumbered and the Confederate soldiers had won, and they sent a message to Union leaders that basically stated that they have killed all the black soldiers, or as they described them, “ni**ers”, and dumped their bodies in a filthy trench.
On the other hand, the most significant piece of evidence in this argument is the document that started the domino effect of justice, the Emancipation of Proclamation. The Emancipation of Proclamation is the largest and most significant piece of evidence that states the African-Americans are allowed to serve in the Civil War. It was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, three years into the Civil War. As mentioned in the previous arguments, due to the lack of personnel, the president was forced to issue it to save his nation. It stated that “all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free,” and that every free African-American that is able and is in good condition to serve shall enlist in the army. This document set the motion of a dream of independence and eternal freedom for the blacks. African Americans had amounted to a whooping 200,000 soldiers and sailors, making up a whole 10% of the Union Army. The original document is held and preserved in the National Archives in Washington, DC.
Although there is little to no photographs showing that the blacks were serving during the Civil War, there is one photograph that holds a significant meaning in African-American history, one that shows a group of men helping each other against the enemy, and one black person was raising an American flag, that regiment is called the 54 Massachusetts Regiment. The 54 Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was part of the Union Army and fought at the Second Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863. This regimen began recruiting free black slaves outside Boston. One prominent figure for that regimen is the abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, along with his sons were the first to be drafted in that unit. They were commanded by white officers, including John Andrew, who pressured the U.S. Department of War to begin recruiting black slaves from the contrabands to fight against the Confederate Army. More than 1,000 men had volunteered to join the regiment, they came from New York, Ohio, Canada, and Indiana. The 54 Massachusetts Regiment were sent to the battlefields of the South, although the Confederate Army had warned that all captured white soldiers will be executed and all blacks sold into slavery, again. The 54 Massachusetts Regiment was not to be underestimated. Even though they fought well and hard to end slavery and prove that they can be more than what white supremacists expected of them and fight against the Confederate Army, they were also diligently fighting on their own side for justice in the wage-gap. African-American soldiers were paid $10 compared to the $13 for the Whites. Robert Shaw, the white soldier assigned to head the 54 Massachusetts Regiment, and an abolitionist, had reminded his soldiers, “I want you to prove yourselves, the eyes of thousands will look on what you do tonight.” Although they lost the battle at Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863, and almost 280 of the 1000 soldiers along with Shaw died, they did a lot of unrepairable damage (Pohanka). Other battles that the 54 Massachusetts Regiment fought in were the Battle of Grimball’s landing, Second Battle of Fort Wagner, Battle of Olustee, Battle of Honey Hill, and Battle of Boykin’s Hill. Till today, the 54 Massachusetts Regiment is still a touchy story, with a sad ending, yet they are not to be forgotten, as several statues including, but not limited to, the Statue of Massachusetts Governor John Albion Andrew, the Statue of Robert Gould Shaw, also known as the Shaw Memorial, and the famous painting of the infantry with the American flag in The New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division. These are the people that changed the course of justice and set the path of freedom for those after them.
In conclusion, all the effort and willingness of the African-Americans to join the Union Army, helped form the Bureau of Colored Troops to manage the large number of African-Americans that served in the war. It is now known that African-Americans were widely used in the war, maybe in the Union Army significantly more than in the Confederate Army, and mostly on the battlefield than off. Blacks soldiers served in many positions, those who couldn’t help in the actual fighting, used whatever skills they have to benefit the war effort, off the battlefield. The several different documents mentioned above, such as the Emancipation of Proclamation and the Second Confiscation and Militia Act have proven repeatedly that African-Americans contributed more than anyone could ever imagine to the war, alongside the fact that even while fighting for freedom in the army, they were also fighting for justice in the world. Had it not been for the black soldiers during that time, the nation could’ve gone into chaos and ultimate destruction.