Early involvement of Black Troops fighting in the Civil War
Among the first black regiments involved in combat were James H. Lane’s troops, who battled Confederate guerrillas in Kansas in late 1862. While the early efforts of these black soldiers failed to attract the attention, and thus the praise that they deserved, the exploits of other black soldiers fighting under prominent white abolitionist officers in the Sea Islands of South Carolina began to capture the minds of the Northern public. Aided by their soldier’s intimate knowledge of the surrounding terrain, Union forces swept from Port Royal to northern Florida, and in the process liberated hundreds of slaves from the interior.
The writings of Thomas Wentworth Higginson, the commander of the First South Carolina Volunteers, published in the Northern abolitionist press helped to further refute the arguments of those of who believed that black men lacked the characteristics to become effective soldiers. The bravery shown by black soldiers during the battles of Port Hudson and Milliken’s Bend in Louisiana in May and June respectively, and Fort Wagner in South Carolina in July 1863, silenced any doubts about black men’s willingness or capability as soldiers.
In a letter to his superiors, the commander of the District of North-eastern Louisiana, Elias S. Dennis gives an account of the battle at Milliken’s Bend in June 1863. Dennis explains how the enemy were able to easily charge the African Regiment, who were “inexperienced in the use of arms,” some only having been “drilled but a few days,” which resulted in “a most terrible hand to hand conflict.” He singles out Colonel Lieb, “who by his gallantry and daring, inspired his men to deeds of valour, until he fell, seriously, though not dangerously wounded.” Even one Confederate officer paid tribute to the determination of the black soldier at Milliken’s Bend, stating that “they had resisted with considerable obstinacy, while the white or true Yankee portion ran like whipped curs.”