The Conclusion of the War

As 1865 began, the Union saw victory in sight. Major Union victories in the later months of 1864 led to the sense of optimism in the North. Union armies on all fronts throughout the South continued to put pressure on the Confederates. Still, the Confederates were not willing to end the war just yet. They scrambled to keep their morale up and their armies together and supplied with men and resources. And even with victory in site, African Americans continued to volunteer to join the Union army in 1865. In spite of the hardships black troops and their families experienced in 1863 and 1864 and would endure in 1865, Northern blacks continued to support the Union war effort. And similar to their white counterparts, the more battles they participated in, the more committed black troops became to finish the job and to ensure their fallen comrades had not died in vain.

Discharge Requests

Northern black soldiers and their families continued to support the Union effort. In spite of pay issues, discrimination and racism by northerners and southerners, the general hardships of military life, and the potential hardships for their families, black men continued to enlist in large numbers. Yet, for some families, conditions at home had become too hopeless. They had moved beyond the unequal pay issue as well as the army’s inability to pay their soldiers monthly. They had gone on as long as they could without the financial support of their men and had reached the point where they simply wanted their soldiers home. These family members asked Union officials for their soldiers to be discharged because the family’s situation was so desperate the only resolution was for the soldiers to return home. Often the requests were for discharges of underage sons, who continued to enlist through deceitfulness about their age.

Home Again

By the end of 1865, all twenty-six of the northern black regiments were mustered out of service and returned home to their families. The first was the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, which mustered out on August 20, 1865, and discharged in Boston on September 1. The last northern black regiment mustered out in December 1865. The reception once they arrived home was one of exuberance and joy for most northern black regiments. Large crowds of admirers welcomed them home. Once back where the regiment was organized, the regiment settled their final business with the paymaster and then officially disbanded. The soldiers then went home to their families. Northern black soldiers went home with a tremendous sense of accomplishment. They had successfully defended their country against rebellion, helped to put an end to slavery, shown both skill and bravery, and proved their worth to their country. In return for their loyalty, blacks felt that their actions justified equal treatment in American society. Black men and women were optimistic and continued to strive for better lives as they settled into their post-war lives. The voices of most northern black women became more silent since they were no longer writing letters to military officials.

After the War

Even with victory in hand, northern black troops and their families had to wait longer for them to return home. While most white regiments were disbanded and their members mustered out, African-American regiments remained intact because their members had not completed their three years of service. The Union’s plan was for black troops to play a major role in the Union’s reconstruction of the South. Thus, black families would have to carry on long after the war had ended. Black troops worked to keep the peace in the defeated, resentful, and hostile South. In addition, black troops helped to facilitate the transition from slavery to freedom for the freedmen. The continued use of black regiments in the Union army forced their families to have to continue writing letters. What was different after April 1865 was that the goal of a Union victory no longer made sacrifices bearable for Union families.

Violence on Two Fronts

Black troops and their families suffered from several kinds of violence inflicted on them alone. The rebels had a habit of killing black troops after they had surrendered or been captured. Yet, black troops continued to join the army and support the Union cause in spite of this risk; they fought harder in combat. In addition African-American family members in the North faced violence themselves at home. But, in their case, their assailants were white northerners, such as in the 1863 race riots in Detroit on March 6th and the three-day riots in New York City on July 13th–16th. Blacks were killed and wounded in both riots, and their property was destroyed. Even with the threat of violence against them in the North as well as the South, northern blacks continued to enlist and support the Union war effort. African Americans remained loyal to the Union and to the cause.

The Forming of Black Regiments and Success in Battle

On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. The Proclamation gave official federal authorization to use black troops as part of the Union’s war strategy. Thereby, northern blacks now had the opportunity to fight for their country, prove their worthiness for citizenship, and help bring an end to slavery. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry became the first black regiment formed in the North. Many other black regiments were to follow. Prominent abolitionists and black leaders such as Frederick Douglass, and a host of other black men and women, helped recruit for black regiments. Not all northerners agreed blacks would make effective soldiers. However, as the war progressed, most doubters would become believers, especially after black troops performed bravely at three key early battles in 1863: Port Hudson on May 27th; Milliken’s Bend on June 7th; and the 54th Massachusetts famous charge at Fort Wagner on July 18th.

Life in the North

When war broke out on April 12, 1861, about two hundred thousand African Americans scratched out a life for themselves in a northern society that was hostile to their very existence. Though a few northern blacks were able to accumulate property and live in a manner similar to white citizens, the majority of African Americans struggled to survive at the bottom of the political, economic, and social structure of northern society. In the decades leading to the Civil War, blacks had to also endure the constant fear of violence and race riots that usually ended with the loss of black property and black lives. Yet despite these many obstacles, blacks found a way to survive in a hostile environment, which they did by building strong social institutions and by organizing and resisting oppressive laws and practices. And in the background were the constant and determined efforts to end slavery.

A Grand Opportunity

The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, and provided a long awaited opportunity for northern African Americans to prove their loyalty and their worthiness for full citizenship. And for all African Americans, this was a chance to end slavery and the mark of inferiority it branded on the black race. However, the initial euphoria of these African Americans quickly evaporated when they were told this was not a war in which blacks were welcomed to participate. Their help was not requested and was outright rejected. Northern blacks (men and women) looked for and found other ways to contribute to the Union war effort. With the Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln had decided to free all the slaves in rebel territory. The Union army now also became an army of liberation. The potential for Union forces to obtain desperately needed manpower, black troops, was another important factor for the decision.

Introduction

This study analyzes the effects of the Civil War on northern black families as they sacrificed for a Union victory, and asks the question, how were black Union soldiers from the North and their families affected by their involvement in the Civil War? Letters from family members to the government are the most valuable source used in this study. Collectively, the letters are significant because they represent the few written primary sources and records left behind by African-American women. These are their words and they are saying what was on their minds and what were their needs, concerns, and desires. Some of the letters give great insight into the minds and thoughts of these family members. Using these letters, the Civil War history of black soldiers is examined; however, woven into this history is the story of the families on the home front.

Even Farther Away from Home

While some black regiments remained throughout the South performing occupation duties, others were sent to Texas to perform a combination of duties. They were keeping the peace and helping freedmen transition to freedom, but they were also sent to Texas to counter French aggression in Mexico. In Texas the troops would have to endure being even farther away from their families, in more remote and difficult terrain and in disease-ridden conditions. Additionally, homesickness, the terrible conditions, and the increase in idle time and boredom all led to a breakdown in order and professionalism among the officers and the men, which in turn led to an increase in tension between the two groups. Black troops’ discontent arose from knowing that, while white troops continued to be mustered out of service and returned home, they were headed to Texas. They were also upset about being farther away from their families and the paymaster. One positive outcome of occupation duty for black troops was their greater access to literacy programs. By September 1865, Union policy shifted against the continued use of black regiments. Union officials, including General Ulysses S. Grant, determined it was best to release all northern-raised black troops from military service.