Movement of resistance · 1862–1865
Black Soldiers & the USCT
Nearly 200,000 Black men — most of them formerly enslaved — fought for the Union, turning the Civil War into a war for their own freedom.
When the Union finally allowed Black enlistment, the response was overwhelming. About 179,000 Black soldiers served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT) and another 19,000 in the Navy — roughly a tenth of all Union forces. They fought knowing that capture could mean execution or re-enslavement, and often for unequal pay until they protested it.
The 54th Massachusetts's doomed-but-heroic assault on Fort Wagner became the era's symbol, but USCT regiments fought in nearly every theater. Their service was the strongest possible argument for citizenship — and it directly shaped the case for the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments.
On the timeline
- May 13, 1862Robert Smalls commandeers the CSS Planter
Enslaved pilot Robert Smalls sails a Confederate ship out of Charleston Harbor to the Union blockade, freeing himself, his family, and the crew — and becomes a war hero and congressman.
- January 1, 1863The Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln declares the enslaved in rebel states free, transforming the war into a fight for freedom.
- July 18, 1863The 54th Massachusetts at Fort Wagner
Black Union soldiers prove their valor in a costly assault on a Confederate fort.
Resources
The web
Connections to other moments, systems, and investigations — the links rarely drawn together.
- enabled (incoming)·EventThe Emancipation Proclamation
The Proclamation authorized Black enlistment, opening the USCT to nearly 200,000 men.
- part of (incoming)·EventRobert Smalls commandeers the CSS Planter
Smalls's daring escape helped persuade the Union to arm and enlist Black men.