African Americans As Soldiers In The South example essay topic

The Decision to Use African American Troops America's Civil War was a fight to preserve the Union in the North, and for independence in the South. Slavery and the rights of African Americans were caught in the middle of this struggle, and in this paper we will examine the controversy over the decision to use African American troops to fight for the Northern and Southern cause. First we will look into the background of the war and determine the root of its cause. We will use this background to compare the similarities and differences between the North and South against using African Americans as soldiers.

We will examine how the progression of the war changed or altered these policies, and how these policies differed between the Union and Confederate States. The Civil War started on April 12, 1861 with the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter. (Divine, p. 429) Years of arguments between the North and South on the issues of state rights and slavery ultimately led to the war, and the South justified their succession as a "constitutional right". (Divine, 429) Contrary to what many believe, Lincoln did not wage war on the South to free slaves. Instead, the war was fought to ultimately preserve the Union. For example, in 1862 when president Lincoln was asked to make the war one for the emancipation of slaves, he replied "If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that". (p. 246, paragraph 2) Clearly President Lincoln's main objective was to preserve the Union.

It is important to keep the issue of slavery in perspective. While the war was not fought over slavery, it was without a doubt a deep root of the war. President Lincoln stated "I admit that slavery is the root of the rebellion, or at least its sine qua non". (p. 257, no. 12) This demonstrates that although Lincoln is willing to admit slavery is a root of the rebellion, it is not the primary reason the war is being fought. Proclaiming a war to end slavery would threaten to turn the border slave states towards the Confederacy and hamper war support among the Northern public. Lincoln replied to religious denominations and their request for emancipation "There are fifty thousand bayonets in the Union armies from the border slave States. It would be a serious matter, if, in consequence of a proclamation such as you desire, they should go over to the rebels". (p. 258, no. 12) It was a smart decision.

Proclaiming the war for the emancipation of slaves could easily turn the border slave states against the Union, and that was not a risk Lincoln was willing to take. After hearing about the incident as Fort Sumter, thousands of men in both the North and South rushed to join the military. Patriotism was running deep, and for the South it felt as if it were another American Revolution. (p. 245, paragraph 2) With such a large pool of volunteers, the issue of using African Americans as soldiers never had a chance to seriously reach the table. They simply weren't needed.

Both sides didn't even have enough equipment to arm their white armies; let alone an army of African Americans. Lincoln stated in a reply concerning Emancipation. ".. thus far we have not had arms enough to equip our white troops... ". (p. 258, no. 12) The South had the same problem, for the Confederate War Department responded to a letter requesting slaves to be used as troops the following: .".. there is a superabundance of our own color tendering their services to the Government in its day of peril and ruthless invasion, a superabundance of men when we are bound to admit the inadequate supply of arms at present at the disposal of the Government". (p. 264, no. 22) The war was just beginning, and the number of white volunteers exceeded the number of arms to supply them. However, as the war went on and casualties were on the rise both sides would begin to look at the possibility of using African Americans as soldiers more seriously. African Americans were generally viewed as less than equal to whites.

This sentiment was especially strong in the South, where they were widely viewed as incompetent and less than ideal soldiers. It was illegal to educate slaves in the South, for it was believed that if they were educated they could organize and revolt. Actions such as John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry and Nat Turner's rebellion fed fuel to their fears. (Divine, p. 363,409) It was also believed that if the slaves were armed and trained to fight for Southern independence, they could use their skill and training against the South in the future.

Such a fear was expressed in a letter from Warren Akin: "When the negro is taught the use of arms and the art of war, can we live in safety with them afterwards?" (p. 269, no. 27) This general sentiment against African Americans posed another question: Would the white Confederate army fight alongside their former slaves? In Robert Toombs's peach to the Confederate Senate in 1894, he stated "The day that the army of Virginia allows a negro regiment to enter their lines as soldiers they will be degraded, ruined, and disgraced". Apparently, the answer to the question is no. It was considered an insult to the white Southern soldiers to fight alongside their less-than-equal black counterparts.

The South was greatly racist towards African Americans; however, the North shared a large sentiment towards them as well. Although abolitionists constantly preached for equality, most Northerners viewed them as inferior to their own race. President Lincoln himself shared this sentiment, only to change his view later for political and strategic reasons. (p. 248, paragraph 1) Many Northerners felt that the African Americans were the main reason of the war and blamed it on them. This hatred was demonstrated in the New York Riot that took place in July of 1863. During the chaos, angry rioters burned an orphanage for black children and lynched more than twelve African Americans simply because they felt they were the cause of the war.

(Divine, p. 444) A letter from a Union soldier to his family simply stated "I think the best way to settle the question of what to do with the darkies would be to shoot them". Union soldiers also did not want to fight alongside the blacks, because to them it was as degrading as it was to the Southerners. A letter from a Union soldier in 1863 states "The feeling against negars is intensely strong in this army as is plainly to be seen wherever and whenever they meet them. They are looked upon as the principal cause of this war and this feeling is especially strong in the Irish regiments". This resentment towards African Americans was most likely the principal reason blacks were recruited into separate regiments led by white officers. (Divine, p. 442) It provided them with protection from their white counterparts, while preventing moral from dropping in the white regiments.

Recruiting African Americans as soldiers presented the south with a much greater problem than the North. In the Union the blacks were already free, and they were fighting to preserve their freedom as well as the freedom of their brothers and sisters in the South. In the Confederate States, however, the majority of the blacks were slaves. How could the South convince the slaves to fight?

They certainly would not be motivated fighters if they were forced to preserve their own slavery. What would happen to them after the war? Would it be safe for the independent South to have free black veterans roaming around, while their families would still be still bound to slavery? It appears this was a topic of hot controversy. In the Montgomery Alabama Weekly Mail, a writer stated "We are aware that there are persons who shudder at the idea of placing arms in the hands of negroes, and who are not willing to trust them under any circumstances. The negro, however, is proverbial for his faithfulness under kind treatment...

Let them be declared free, placed in the ranks, and told to fight for their homes and country... ". (p. 265, no 23) On the other side of the issue, a letter from Warren Akin to Nathan Land stated "To call forth the negroes into the army, with the promise of freedom, will it not be giving up the great question involved by doing the very thing Lincoln is now doing? ... The Confederate Government may buy the private negro property of the Citizens, but can it set them free among us, to corrupt our slaves, and place in peril our existence? ...

We may (if necessary) put our slaves in the army, win our independence, and have liberty and homes for ourselves and children. But subjugation will deprive us of our homes, houses, property, liberty, honor, and every thing worth living for... ". (p. 269, no. 27) It appears there would be no clear winner in the decision to use African Americans as soldiers in the South. The Confederate Secretary of War, Judah P. Benjamin believed. ".. if they are to fight for our freedom, they are entitled to their own". (p. 270, no. 28) In contrast, Virginia Republican Lynchburg said it well when he stated "The South went to war to defeat the designs of the abolitionists, and behold! In the midst of the war, we turn abolitionists ourselves! (p. 272, no. 32) Foreign influence also had a significant influence on the South to recruit slaves as soldiers.

During the war, Southern diplomats were trying to gain war support from France and England. Both of these countries depended on the South to support their textile industries with it's abundance of cotton. However, both England and France were hesitant to support a nation that harbored slavery. Slavery had long been outlawed in these two countries, and both thought of it as a moral wrong. (p. 247, paragraph 1) The threat of war with the United States was also a crucial element that influenced their decision.

Secretary of State Seward and Charles Francis Adams would threaten war "at any hint of British recognition or support of the Confederacy". (Divine, p. 440) Britian was not ready to go to war with the United States, so they decided to wait it out play it safe. (Divine, p. 440) Southerners believed that if slaves were fighting for their own homeland and in return would receive freedom France and Britian may change their minds and give them their support. General Patrick Cleburne expressed this ideology to General Johnston in 1864: "Our country has already some friends in England and France... but they cannot assist us without helping slavery, and to do this would be in conflict with their policy for the last quarter of a century... But this barrier once removed, the sympathy and the interests of these and other nations will accord with their own, and we may expect from them both moral support and material aid... ".

Foreign aid no doubt had a strong influence on the decision to use slaves to fight for the Confederate South. Both sides felt the civil war would be a quick fight for victory. Recruitment skyrocketed for both sides, and there was a rush to get the "quick war" over. As a result, the ill-trained Union soldiers lost a humiliating battle near Bull Run where they were forced to retreat. (Divine, 436) It became clear that it would not be a quick, easy war because the Confederacy put up such "a hell of a fight". (Divine, 430) With the prospect of a long, hard war, recruitment began to drop.

Massive casualties began to accumulate on both sides, and both needed more men to fill their ranks. (Divine, 431) It wasn't until the latter part of the war that using African Americans as troops received more attention. General Patrick Cleburne stated to General Johnson "We have now been fighting for nearly three years, have spilled much of our best blood... ". (p. 266, no. 24) This statement demonstrates the need to mobilize more troops, since the "best blood" had already perished on the battlefield. The Union was the first to mobilize black troops. Over 200,000 African American troops served for the Union, and they made a great contribution to the war effort. (Divine, 442) Unfortunately for the South, black troops were never mobilized in time to fight for their cause.

The war ended only a month after African Americans were allowed to fight for the Confederacy. During that month a handful of African American Companies had been formed, but they never saw any combat. (p. 277, paragraph 2) The debate to use African Americans was very controversial for both the North and South. Initially both sides couldn't even arm their white armies, so the issue did not receive much attention. However, as recruitment began to fall and the war prolonged there was an imminent need for replacements.

In the North, President Lincoln did not want to lose the support of the border slave states by enlisting African Americans and labeling the war as one to free slaves. There was strong sentiment against blacks in the Union, and seeing a black soldier in uniform would only harm public support for the war. In the South, the issue of turning slaves into soldiers was debated until it was too late. The fear of free slaves with arms and military experience was overwhelming, which ultimately prevented them from fighting for the Confederate cause. Perhaps they should have reconsidered the fruits of recruiting African Americans, for they proved to be trustworthy and courageous fighters for the Union.