thecivilwarparlor:Provost Guard of the 107th Colored Infantry, Fort Corcoran, Washington, D.C., 1863
thecivilwarparlor:Provost Guard of the 107th Colored Infantry, Fort Corcoran, Washington, D.C., 1863 - ~Courage and Valor On The Battlefield~ African American soldiers fought for their manhood in the Civil War, which meant fighting for equality, citizenship, power, and honor. It was apparent for African American men that in order to achieve “manhood” and demonstrate their equality, they would have to join the war effort against the white South. As an 1863 Douglass’ Monthly article states, “Nothing can be more plain, nothing more certain than that the speediest and best possible way open to us to manhood, equal rights and elevation than to enter in to this service.”African American men also demonstrated that they were highly capable soldiers on the battlefield. They were significantly involved in important campaigns and battles in the later years of the Civil War, and performed admirably. When asked to perform on the battlefield, they answered the call with courage and valor. African American soldiers proved to be central components of the Siege of Petersburg, the final campaign of the Civil War before the brief Appomattox Campaign led to the capture of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The Siege of Petersburg, led by General Ulysses S. Grant, involved a series of battles with the ultimate goal of capturing Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia. The Siege involved a collective force that included 13,630 African American soldiers, the largest concentration of African American soldiers in the Civil War. Their troops would take part in several key battles during this important campaign, including at the Battle of the Crater and the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm. If we wish to have proper credit let us furnish historians from among ourselves to furnish the facts connected with our own history. Examine our school histories, if you please, and your will find very little, if any, reference made to the fact that nearly 200,000 colored men shouldered the musket and went forth to so and die, that the foul blot of slavery might be forever erased from our national banner. -Reverend John C. Brock from Pennsylvania in 1886 .Enlistment of Colored Men,” Douglass’ Monthly, August, 1863, Accessible Archives, Inc. -- source link