Black Soldiers In History

This page is dedicated to the memory of Eddie Page, an African-American Reenactor who died at age 43 on 1/13/98 in Atlanta as the result of a gunshot wound received at the hands of robbers. Mr. Page spoke passionately about the Black contribution to the Confederacy during the Civil War and his voice has been missed.

See also  the Plantation Life Section
See also  Slavery

Little known 1860  African-American facts of interest from "The Civil War Book of Lists":
In 1860 there were 488,033 free Black residents of the U.S. and its territories.  The states with the largest free black populations were Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania & New York, respectively.

Virginia:  10.6% (58,042) of the state's Black population was free.
North Carolina:  8.6% (30,463) of the state's Black population was free.
Maryland:  49.1% (83,942) of the state's Black population was free.
Pennsylvania:  100% (56,949) of the state's Black population was free.
New York:  100% (49,005) of the state's Black population was free.

There were 3,953,860 slaves within the U.S. and its territories in 1860.  The entire population (all races) of the U.S. and its territories was 30,891,916.

BLK035H   The Black Civil War Soldiers of Illinois.  The Story of the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry  Edward A. Miller, Jr.
Miller details the formation of the Twenty-ninth, its commendable performance but incompetent leadership during the Petersburg battle, and the refilling of its ranks, mostly by black enlistees who served as substitutes for drafted white men. one copy left.

BLK047 Unlikely Warriors.  General Benjamin Grierson and His Family
W. & S. Leckie
Grierson led the famous raid in 1863 and became the commander of the 10th Cavalry in 1866.

BLK024 The Black Infantry in the West, 1869 - 1891
Arlen L. Fowler
Fowler brings to light the story of African-American infantry service often overshadowed by the "Buffalo soldiers" of the Cavalry.

BLK021P  The Louisiana Native Guards: The Black Military Experience During the Civil War.
ed by D. Yacovone
Created as a response to the demands of New Orleans free blacks that they be permitted to defend their state. $15.95

BLK005 Blue-Eyed Child of Fortune: The Civil War Letters of Col. Robert Gould Shaw.
Duncan
A personal look at the man who commanded the famed 54th Massachusetts.