From the peaceful hills & mountains of the Berkshires to the epicenter of Gettysburg's epic Battle
[where ALL true Americans would do well to visit at some point in order to pay respects to 'supreme sacrifices' (made by ALL demographics) in the Union's quest for National unity via freedom for all who were heretofore subjected to the shackles of demoralizing slavery].
Thanks for taking the time to comment. This is more an enrollment roster rather than an infantry roster. These men likely served in a number of regiments, but it doesn't in any way diminish your overall point.
Some research I might do would be to see if there are local death certificates for the men listed; if they show a date of death after 1864, then you would know they survived their term of service. Since I'm not too familiar with the records available for this period, would there be pension records available, either through the state or the federal government? That information might also give some insight into who survived and who didn't.
Amazing. I hope someone is taking notes. The literature (as you’ve pointed out previously on Twitter) is sparse on Black men in “integrated” US Army units during the civil war.
Due to the Militia Act, two African American men from Norwell, MA, joined the 45th Mass Malitia, and Lemuel Freeman reinlisted for three years—not in the 54th with his cousins, but with the 58th, another “white” unit. Additionally, the African American community comprised 5% of Norwell’s 1860 population, yet 9% of Norwell’s Civil War veterans were Black.
Thanks for the comment, Wayne. This is certainly possible. In these cases it would also potentially tell us something about the racial dynamic in certain communities and regiments.
Lemuel Freeman was a sergeant when he suffered his mortal wound on picket duty. When thinking about racial dynamics, I wonder what it was like to achieve such rank in a “white” unit and I wonder if a Confederate sharpshooter singled Freeman out due to being a ranking soldier of color.
In the years and decades following the war's end, much of the North chose to remember these August - October 1862, 9-month enlistments as the Second Great Wave of patriotic outpouring. I will argue in my forthcoming book ("Tis Not Our War": Avoiding Military Service in the Civil War North") that with the possible exception of teen boys who had just turned 18 years old, the majority of these enlistments were due to the massive amount of bounty money then being offered, coupled with the figurative tip of the conscription bayonet pointed in their back. Enlisting for a relatively short 9 months and securing all that money was preferable to the risk of being drafted for 3 years and getting none of it.
This is a great point Paul. I am definitely looking forward to your next book. For the Confederates that Ken Noe studies the prospect of conscription was staring them down, but as you know it would be another year before the U.S instituted a draft. Is concern about a possible draft present in the historical record in the summer of 1862? Thanks.
Absolutely. The Militia Act of 1862 represented the North's first draft threat if more men did not immediately volunteer. It was administered by the states on a somewhat ad hoc basis prior to the national Enrollment Act of 1863 which was effective in March of that year.
Do we have any letters from any the people on the list? I took the online course with Prof. Peter Charmichael and initially many of the volunteers had a romantic notion of war which changed as they experienced the horrors of battle. In the course we were able to see that there was a strong sense of Union and Patriotism among people in the North.
That's another good question. I suspect that we may find a collection or two among the men listed. Soldiers often sent letters home that ended up in local newspapers. Regimental histories are another source that can provide additional context and may even include some of the names as well.
Well-done to elicit this Infantry roster of yore.
From the peaceful hills & mountains of the Berkshires to the epicenter of Gettysburg's epic Battle
[where ALL true Americans would do well to visit at some point in order to pay respects to 'supreme sacrifices' (made by ALL demographics) in the Union's quest for National unity via freedom for all who were heretofore subjected to the shackles of demoralizing slavery].
Hi James,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. This is more an enrollment roster rather than an infantry roster. These men likely served in a number of regiments, but it doesn't in any way diminish your overall point.
Some research I might do would be to see if there are local death certificates for the men listed; if they show a date of death after 1864, then you would know they survived their term of service. Since I'm not too familiar with the records available for this period, would there be pension records available, either through the state or the federal government? That information might also give some insight into who survived and who didn't.
Pension records will most certainly offer some insight into the postwar lives of these men, especially if they were wounded in battle.
Amazing. I hope someone is taking notes. The literature (as you’ve pointed out previously on Twitter) is sparse on Black men in “integrated” US Army units during the civil war.
Due to the Militia Act, two African American men from Norwell, MA, joined the 45th Mass Malitia, and Lemuel Freeman reinlisted for three years—not in the 54th with his cousins, but with the 58th, another “white” unit. Additionally, the African American community comprised 5% of Norwell’s 1860 population, yet 9% of Norwell’s Civil War veterans were Black.
I wrote about it here: https://eleven-names.com/norwells-lemuel-freeman-integrated-white-civil-war-units/
Thanks for the comment, Wayne. This is certainly possible. In these cases it would also potentially tell us something about the racial dynamic in certain communities and regiments.
Lemuel Freeman was a sergeant when he suffered his mortal wound on picket duty. When thinking about racial dynamics, I wonder what it was like to achieve such rank in a “white” unit and I wonder if a Confederate sharpshooter singled Freeman out due to being a ranking soldier of color.
His is certainly a fascinating story. Thanks for sharing and good question re: whether he was singled out owing to his race.
In the years and decades following the war's end, much of the North chose to remember these August - October 1862, 9-month enlistments as the Second Great Wave of patriotic outpouring. I will argue in my forthcoming book ("Tis Not Our War": Avoiding Military Service in the Civil War North") that with the possible exception of teen boys who had just turned 18 years old, the majority of these enlistments were due to the massive amount of bounty money then being offered, coupled with the figurative tip of the conscription bayonet pointed in their back. Enlisting for a relatively short 9 months and securing all that money was preferable to the risk of being drafted for 3 years and getting none of it.
This is a great point Paul. I am definitely looking forward to your next book. For the Confederates that Ken Noe studies the prospect of conscription was staring them down, but as you know it would be another year before the U.S instituted a draft. Is concern about a possible draft present in the historical record in the summer of 1862? Thanks.
Absolutely. The Militia Act of 1862 represented the North's first draft threat if more men did not immediately volunteer. It was administered by the states on a somewhat ad hoc basis prior to the national Enrollment Act of 1863 which was effective in March of that year.
Got it. Thanks, Paul. Guess I never appreciated this aspect of the Militia Act.
Do we have any letters from any the people on the list? I took the online course with Prof. Peter Charmichael and initially many of the volunteers had a romantic notion of war which changed as they experienced the horrors of battle. In the course we were able to see that there was a strong sense of Union and Patriotism among people in the North.
Hi Steve,
That's another good question. I suspect that we may find a collection or two among the men listed. Soldiers often sent letters home that ended up in local newspapers. Regimental histories are another source that can provide additional context and may even include some of the names as well.