As United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiments entered southern states, they had the opportunity on numerous occasions to liberate slaves. After one USCT regiment liberated slaves from a plantation in North Carolina, an editorial published in Harpers Weekly on January 23, 1864 noted that they “[left] ‘Ole Massa’ to glory in solitude and secession.” You […]
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May
10
USCT Liberating Slaves
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Historic Periodicals, Imagesno comment
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May
10
“The Escaped Slave and the Union Soldier”
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Historic Periodicals, ImagesThis short editorial published in Harper’s Weekly describes two pictures of the same man – one shows him as a fugitive slave from Alabama and the other as a Union soldier. While at first he was a “poor fugitive oppressed with the weariness of two hundred long miles of dusty travel,” Harper’s Weekly explains that […]
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May
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African American soldiers in the United States Colored Troops originally did not receive equal pay. Some northerners demanded that Congress take action and change the policy. This editorial, which was published in Harper’s Weekly on February 13, 1864, asked readers to consider the issue: “But the point for every honest man to ponder is this: […]
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May
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The 32nd USCT Regiment was organized in March 1864 at Camp William Penn outside Philadelphia. After training was completed, the regiment was sent to South Carolina in late April 1864. These men participated in a number of engagements while assigned to the Department of the South. “Towards the close of November [1864], General Foster, in […]
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May
10
The 127th USCT Regiment was organized in September 1864 and received training at Camp William Penn. Records indicate that this regiment only participated in a single battle: “On arriving at the front, it was incorporated with the Army of the James. The official army register of Colored Troops, shows that the only battle in which […]
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Apr
10
The 41st USCT Regiment was organized at Camp William Penn in the fall of 1864. This regiment participated in several engagements in Virginia: “On the 27th of March [1864], in connection with the Twenty fourth Corps, under command of General Ord, to the Second Division of which it now belonged, it move to join the […]
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Apr
10
Discovering the Civil War
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Places to Visit, Recent News, VideoThis article from the Washington Post describes “Discovering the Civil War,” a new exhibit that will open at the National Archives in Washington D.C. on Friday. This exhibit, as reporter Michael E. Ruane explains, “seeks to explore more of the little-known aspects of the battle and glimpse some of the dimmer corners of the conflict […]
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Apr
10
Watch a short slideshow or take a look at these images related to the United States Colored Troops (USCT). All of these images are from the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.
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Apr
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Presentation of Colors to the 20th USCT
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Historic PeriodicalsAs USCT regiments were organized in northern states, they were often honored at ceremonies held in local cities or at their training camps. A previous post described a flag raising ceremony at Camp William Penn. This article in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, however, described the event at which the 20th USCT received their colors in […]
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Apr
10
Voting Rights and the Grand Review (Nov. 1865)
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Recent ScholarshipWhile Gerald G. Eggert’s article in Pennsylvania History focuses on the experiences of Harrisburg’s African American community throughout a century, it also includes a short but interesting description of Harrisburg’s Grand Review in November 1865. The parade in Harrisburg was clearly an opportunity for that community to honor the African Americans who served in the […]
