Black Union Soldiers Forced to Accept Unequal Pay

The Militia Act of 1862 set Black soldiers' pay at $10 per month (minus $3 for clothing), compared to $13 plus clothing for white soldiers. The 54th Massachusetts famously refused to accept any pay for 18 months in protest. Sergeant Robert John Simmons was killed at Fort Wagner having never received equal compensation. Congress equalized pay in June 1864, but many Black soldiers never received back pay.