Web Page by Nick Blomgren

When we think of the civil war we think of the Union going against the Confederacy and the war against north and south. We remember great battles such as the battle of Gettysburg.  These pictures and bloodshed and hundreds of people dying in battle is what I thought at least.

But you have to remember one of the main factors that fueled the civil war. Slavery. I thought that only white people fought in the civil war. But I was horrifically wrong. Blacks played a major part in the civil war. The Blacks were really fighting for there freedom.

In 1861 civil war broke out upon America. The southern states had broken off from the North. This caused now two America's. The Confederacy states of America (South) and the Union (North). During the war president Abraham Lincoln wrote a draft of something that would be later called "The Emancipation Proclamation". It was not until the battle of Antietam when he decided to issue the proclamation. On the 22nd of September, "The Emancipation Proclamation" was issued. It was this time that the blacks began to join the Union army. For the proclamation said that all slaves were to be free. 

Clutching their muskets in a hard knuckled grip, the Black soldiers began to march on Fort Wagner. A few flinched as canons boomed. Shells fell about them, exploding the earth, covering their shoulders and hats with dirt. Quickly they scrunched tight to fit through the narrow path between sea and marsh. It was dusk and the sky quickly darkened. Foamy waves rolled up the shore, soaking them. At each step their boots sank in wet sand, which sucked at them like fear before a battle. In the purple gloom they pulled their feet out the slush and marched closer to Fort Wagner.

-Capt. Luis F. Emilio

The movie "Glory" is a historical movie. It talked about the 54th regiment that in the end of the movie attacked Fort Wagner and was almost wiped out completely. The movie was true to the facts, the 54th regiment actually existed. Those people actually died. The segment above was written later about the 54th regiment.

Black Americans had a great deal at stake in the battle for states versus the federal government’s rights. To many White Americans, the Civil War was about preserving the Union. For Blacks, however, it was about emancipation from Slavery. Blacks, in large numbers, volunteered to join the military; 156,000 in total. However, they were not treated equally. Initially, there was a two-tier pay scale for Blacks and Whites. Blacks also received inferior to broken down equipment. Despite their bravery on the battlefield, their contributions were and have been taken for granted.

In 1862, there was a slight change in his views and tactics used to fight the war. Since slaves were considered property, the Union army could accept the slaves as contraband (captured war material). "Contraband" units were created throughout the Union ranks

As it became intimately clear that the South would loss in their efforts, the South resorted to desperate measures. Black slaves were offered their freedom if they would fight for the South's cause. The numbers of Blacks who choose to do so were few in numbers.

In the end the Union of course won. And the freedom that the blacks had been fighting for for over a hundred years and more in America finally came true. But they were never treated as equals to whites. Not until much later they were finally given the chance to be treated as equals.

In conclusion to my report, I have learned a lot. More than I expected. 

-Nick

I would like to personally thank the sites in which I borrowed Information for the report. You can find the list of sites in the Bibliography section of the site.