Both free Blacks and slaves wanted to fight in the Civil War and volunteered from the start. The free Blacks wanted to prove their equality and help the slaves win their freedom. There was much opposition from whites, because many thought that the Blacks were biologically inferior and could not be trusted with weapons. They thought arming them would cause the slaves to rebel, and because the war was supposed to be very short it would not be necessary. Also, a federal law dating back to 1792 stated Blacks could not fight in the United States Army. Abolitionists, those in the north who fought for Black rights, argued that Blacks had fought i

I think that the proposition to make soldiers of our slaves is the most pernicious idea that has been suggested since the war began ... You cannot make soldiers of slaves or slaves of soldiers ... The day you make soldiers of them is the beginning of the end of the revolution. If slaves make good soldiers, our whole theory of slavery is very wrong. (Piggins, 1994, 48)

While the Army did not allow Blacks to enlist before the Emancipation Proclamation, the Navy was always open to free Blacks. In September 1861 the Navy started to enlist former slaves because they had a constant shortage of men. These former slaves were used in very effective blockades of southern ports. Unlike the Army, the Navy treated the Blacks well, housing and feeding them with whites and offering them opportunities for promotion. Four Black soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. By the end of the war, Blacks made up one-fourth of the men in the Union fleet.

Only towards the end of the war was there serious talk of enlisting Blacks in the south, but the war ended before it could happen. People in the South still insisted Blacks were too inferior to fight. One man said:

Though Black soldiers in the Army fought as bravely as the white soldiers, they were often discriminated against. Their enlistment period was longer, they were given old weapons, their pay was lower, and they had little chance of promotion. Many didn't survive because of the poor medical care they were given. If Blacks were wounded they were carried off the battlefield as an afterthought, and if they did arrive at a hospital alive they would receive slow and inadequate care. Also, if captured by Confederate troops, a Black sol

Some common words found in the essay are:
Civil War, Army Blacks, People South, Medal Honor, Knight Carson, Port Hudson, Mississippi Valley, Mississippi River, Black Union, Blacks September, black soldiers, civil war, free blacks, union army, blacks fought, blacks fight, soldiers slaves, medal honor, black troops, theory slavery wrong, willing fight, fight civil war, awarded medal honor,
Approximate Word count = 1135
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)