AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL WAR RESOURCES
Brenda Kellow
2011
The Civil War was not the first war in which African Americans served. Black soldiers served as early as the Revolutionary War but were banned from service after the Militia law of 1792 except for the free black landowners in Louisiana. The Federal government reluctantly allowed black enlistment soldiers after the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862 with the exception of the slave-holding states of Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri that were staying in the Union. The black soldiers who were free at the beginning of the war who were not former slaves were paid less than the whites were until the law of June 15, 1864 gave them equal pay.
Because of the low literacy rate among the blacks, few became non-commissioned officers. Another reason was that the whites objected to taking orders from blacks. Thus, black regiments were created in which the soldiers could have a chance of promotion. Many US Colored Troops (USCT) advanced up the ranks and became officers. The blacks were discharged, except for those whose three-year enlistment had not been completed, after Reconstruction except for four permanent regiments, the 9th and 10th US Colored Cavalry (USCC) and the 24th and 25th US Colored Infantry (USCI) that served in the Indian Wars as well as the Spanish American War. Some of these were sent to the Mexican border to threaten Napoleon against prolonging his attempt to invade Mexico.
All black regiments were so designated. Besides the three named above, there was also the US Colored Volunteers (USCV), Corps d’Afrique, a.k.a. African Descent (AD) as those containing the names of their states. Be creative when investigating black troops.
Microfilm records of the compiled service files for the USCT regiments are filmed and in the collections of the National Archives, Ancestry.com, Footnote.com and the Family History Library (FHL). Broader searches may be made using the home town or state.
The National Park Service maintains records of black Union soldiers, the Medal of Honor recipients and the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) at http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/sailors_trans.htm. The Navy did permit black enlistment, although they never obtained high rankings. These men served on most Navy ships and river steamboats. Men from the West Indies, Africa, Europe and the Pacific Islands also served on these ships.
Nineteenth century black newspapers of the Civil War era are digitized and online as well as the Christian Recorder. The latter is available through the Godfrey Library, www.godfrey.org.
Both the National Archives and the FHL have the Freedman’s Bank records online. The National Archives collection is M816, Registers of Signatures of Depositors in Branches of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company 1865-1874. The FHL collection is available from their pilot site, http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch. These are also available through Heritage Quest Online at the local genealogy library. In these records are all the depositors, signatures, rank and regiment, physical description as well as their vital and personal information.
Researchers using these databases and tips who do find their person of interest may find it worth the energy expended in the hunt using African-American Civil War resources.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].
Because of the low literacy rate among the blacks, few became non-commissioned officers. Another reason was that the whites objected to taking orders from blacks. Thus, black regiments were created in which the soldiers could have a chance of promotion. Many US Colored Troops (USCT) advanced up the ranks and became officers. The blacks were discharged, except for those whose three-year enlistment had not been completed, after Reconstruction except for four permanent regiments, the 9th and 10th US Colored Cavalry (USCC) and the 24th and 25th US Colored Infantry (USCI) that served in the Indian Wars as well as the Spanish American War. Some of these were sent to the Mexican border to threaten Napoleon against prolonging his attempt to invade Mexico.
All black regiments were so designated. Besides the three named above, there was also the US Colored Volunteers (USCV), Corps d’Afrique, a.k.a. African Descent (AD) as those containing the names of their states. Be creative when investigating black troops.
Microfilm records of the compiled service files for the USCT regiments are filmed and in the collections of the National Archives, Ancestry.com, Footnote.com and the Family History Library (FHL). Broader searches may be made using the home town or state.
The National Park Service maintains records of black Union soldiers, the Medal of Honor recipients and the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) at http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/sailors_trans.htm. The Navy did permit black enlistment, although they never obtained high rankings. These men served on most Navy ships and river steamboats. Men from the West Indies, Africa, Europe and the Pacific Islands also served on these ships.
Nineteenth century black newspapers of the Civil War era are digitized and online as well as the Christian Recorder. The latter is available through the Godfrey Library, www.godfrey.org.
Both the National Archives and the FHL have the Freedman’s Bank records online. The National Archives collection is M816, Registers of Signatures of Depositors in Branches of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company 1865-1874. The FHL collection is available from their pilot site, http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch. These are also available through Heritage Quest Online at the local genealogy library. In these records are all the depositors, signatures, rank and regiment, physical description as well as their vital and personal information.
Researchers using these databases and tips who do find their person of interest may find it worth the energy expended in the hunt using African-American Civil War resources.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].