African American participation in the Civil War?

Answer 1

yes they did. many fought for the south. And slavery was not the main issue in the civil war. it was over two years in the war when slavery became an issue in it.

Answer 2

Yes, on both sides. Some African Americans actually owned slaves before the Civil War.

Answer 3

Where is the question, yes around 300,000 African-Americans fought for the Union in the Civil War, and a very small amount were orginazed late in the war for the confederacy, but I know little of this, and it was to late to help the CSA, because I dont think any of those units saw action.

Answer 4

odinsrage has the best answer and is absolutely right on the money. That stuff that Jeff P is spouting sounds like something that some revisionist came up with to further validate the War of Northern Aggression which was only partly about slavery, but which has been Lionized as a great crusade to Free Slaves. A vast majority of free blacks and slaves fought for the South without coercion because the war was not even looked at as about slavery but about states rights and federal taxation. The blacks who fought for the Confederacy where like the vast majority of southern soldiers who went to battle for their way of life against northern imposition.

Answer 5

Do you not know the story of the last battle of the war? Where the confederates won the battle and took prisoners. When they got back from patrol, they learned the war had been over for four days and they had lost. The soldiers from Fort Brown in Brownsville Texas were black and were the victors. Also there are lots of stories about the black soldiers at the old fort by El Paso. They were supposed to have been fierce fighting soldiers-buffalo soldiers I think they were called. There should be many, many more stories.

Answer 6

the answer is the Jim Crow guidelines that kept them from complete participation in American existence inspite of their service in warfare. Separate yet equivalent faculties were in no way a strong component everywhere. African individuals were truthfully not receiving equivalent pay for equivalent artwork, and tv wasn't extremely conventional till the 1950's, many years after the suitable of WW2.

Answer 7

Actaully it was around 180,000. 163 units in the union army. Both "free" and "runaway" persons fought.

estimates on the CSA are from 60,000 to 93,000. The south was using blacks as commissioned officers for up to 50 years before the war to protect their states. Free blacks and slaves fought for the CSA.

PS. Jeff P, doesnt know what hes talking about. Sounds like you are typing what you thought it would read like in a 4th grade history book.
Blacks fighting for the south isnt an unusual instance, it was happening before the war.

Answer 8

Some on both sides. The northern blacks were regulars, though all were under white command. They were often given the worst assignments and suffered heavy losses, but proved to be some of the best units in the Union. There was an added risk for these units as well- if nay one from them was captured, they were publicly hung rather then sent to POW camps, Including the White officers.

In the South, Black Slaves were forced by their masters, often at gunpoint, to fight. This didn't work nearly as well, and many southern blacks tried to run for it during a battle, and many made it to the union lines where they were treated as refugees. many eventually wound up fighting for the union, despite the risk.

Answer 9

Do you know the history of the underground railroad. Many white Americans put their lives at risk to help slaves flee to the north and freedom. I suppose that many ex slaves wanted to help defeat the society that enslaved them.