The 54th Infantry
On February,1863 Governor John A. Andrew of Massachusetts issued the Civil War’s first ever call for black soldiers. African Americans were not allowed to serve as soldiers in the Union Army until January 1, 1863 once the Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect . After a few weeks more than 1,000 African american solders were coming to train to be in the Union Army. Many soldiers volunteered from numerous parts of the country. These groups of soldiers were called the 54th Infantry.The 54th Infantry also known as Massachusetts 54th Regiment was the first infantry of black soldiers during The Civil War. Overall,180,000+ African Americans volunteered for the war. This was crucial to the success of the union army. Without these volunteers the army would have not been able to stand against the confederates in numerous battles.
African AmericanPay$7 monthly ($10 salary + $3 clothing charge) = Union
African american didn't fight for the Confederates |
vs. |
White SoldiersPay$13 monthly($10 salary - $3 clothing charge) = Union
$11 monthly (1861) $18 monthly (1864) = Confederates |
Sources
Informationhttp://www.history.com/interactives/civil-war-150#/who-they-were
http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/the-54th-massachusetts-infantry Intro: Civil War PowerPoint |
Pictureshttp://questgarden.com/109/40/5/100923064752/
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