What Was The Importance Of African Americans In The Civil War

Importance of African-American soldiers in the U.S. Civil War In the Civil War, the Confederates and the Union ensured that African American troops had an opportunity of visiting the battlefield. Prior to the onset of the Civil War in 1861, almost 4 million slaves were present in the United States of America. Among these, at least 180,000 served in over 163 units of the army and a thousand others in the navy (Bob and John 94). Freedmen and slaves started serving the Confederate Army in the year 1865. This was the time majority of the black men were being enlisted in the military. However, President Abraham Lincoln had the fears that the acceptance of the black men could result into border states that include Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland
While the south side was reluctant to arm the blacks, these individuals were used as a means of building fortifications and carryout several camp duties (David 8). On the other side, the Northern officers did not believe that the blacks had the power and ability to fight. As such, they were given duties, which are not combat based, or placed in positions of guarding the rear of the bridges and railroads. In the Union Army, the blacks were considered as the scouts and spies, which offered valuable information on the plans, forces, and familiar terrain of the
In spite of being available, the African American troops were not extensively used in the combat. As such, they did not have any commanding role and relied on commands, which were issued to them by the white officers (Barwick 12). Further, the blacks experienced racial discrimination, which was based on their color of the skin. They were also offered jobs, which were reminiscent of slavery. These jobs include manual labor and cooking. These former slaves came to face with harsh reality that they were not socially equal to others despite the fact that they had gained the freedom. Furthermore, it is only few blacks who enjoyed the property rights. This depicts that the Civil War was characterized of intensive discrimination in the combats. From the start of the war, majority of the runaway slaves moved to the Union Army camps where they sought refuge. These runaway slaves believed that the Union camps were the best means of gaining freedom from the south, which was very oppressive (Murray 14). For example, John Boston sought refuge in the Union army since the Northern encampments was considered as the only means of getting freedom in society. The slaves that run to the Union Army were regarded as the contrabands. They were then settled in colonies, which include the Port Royal Experiment, Virginia, and Grand Contraband