“This Causes Great Excitement”
This chapter examines the experiences of African Americans in the Shenandoah Valley from the beginning of 1864 through the Civil War’s end in the spring of 1865. In addition to utilizing a recruiting mission of the 19th United States Colored Troops (USCTs) in early April 1864 to discuss the challenges USCTs confronted, including the decision to enlist and the contributions they made to the Union war effort, this chapter also highlights the continued contributions of the Valley’s African Americans to the Union war effort via non-combatant roles, especially espionage. Of particular note are the efforts of Thomas Laws, an enslaved man from Clarke County, Virginia, who played a significant role in intelligence gathering for Union general Philip Sheridan during the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign. Finally, this chapter concludes with an examination of the simultaneous joy and uncertainty which gripped African Americans when they learned of Union victory in the spring of 1865. Although Union military success meant slavery’s annihilation, this chapter illustrates that African Americans realized they would confront an entirely new set of challenges in the postwar period.