The+Calling+of+Colored+Troops+in+the+Civil+War


 * The Calling of Colored Troops in the Civil War**

Original Author: Cary Garavaglia Revision Author:

Below is a picture of a poster that was used to enlist black slaves into the Union Army after they experienced “intense warfare and... panic generated by Confederate victories in the state” of Missouri that defeat was near. “General John C. Fremont issued a proclamation for state-wide martial law” in Missouri and “on Aug. 31, 1861 Fremont stated, ’The property real and personal, of all persons in the state of Missouri who shall take up arms against the United States, or who shall be directly proven to have taken an active part with their enemies in the field, is declared to be confiscated to the public use, and their slaves, if any they have, are hereby declared freemen’. There were “two-hundred copies of the proclamation containing this emancipation clause…distributed to Federal Military commanders in the Western Department”. Due to all of the controversy “Lincoln wrote Freemont suggesting he voluntarily modify it [and] Fremont saw nothing wrong with it” and forced Lincoln’s “ordering: ‘…The particular clause, however, in relation to the confiscation of property and the liberation of slaves appeared to me to be objectionable in its non-conformity to the act of Congress…It is therefore ordered that the said clause of said proclamation be so modified, held, and construed as to conform…the act of Congress entitled “An act to confiscate property used for insurrectionary purposes, approved August 6, 1861”. This was the first of many acts that Lincoln enforced during his time in office and it is called “the 1st Confiscation Act, Aug 6, 1881”. This Act confiscated slaves and they “became the property of the United States Government” which provided more labor for the war. About one year later on July 17, 1862 “Congress approved the 2nd Confiscation Act” and it “freed slaves owned by disloyal citizens” even if the slaves were not used “in the Confederate war effort” against the Union. While the 2nd Act was being approved so was the “Militia Act” which allowed people “of African descent to be employed by the U.S. Government ‘for the purpose of constructing intrenchments, or performing camp service or any other labor, or any military or naval service for which they may be found competent”. The militia was paid for their service and received “rations the same as soldiers” which was ‘ten dollars per month and one ration, three dollars of which monthly pay may be in clothing’ and this stamped in history “the first official use of black soldiers in the U.S. military”. Lincoln furthered his efforts of abolishing slavery “on January 1, 1863 [when] the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect” which included the state of Illinois. By the “Spring of 1863, widespread recruitment of the U.S. Colored troops had begun” changing history forever. The Bureau of Colored Troops had orders established for them to abide to. These orders were made by the War Department Adjutant General’s Office Washington May 22, 1863, General Orders, No. 143. The orders were from the Secretary of War E.D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant General. The word adjutant’s meaning in “The American Heritage Dictionary is 1.Military” or a “staff officer who helps a commanding officer with administrative affairs.” The second meaning is an “assistant.” I needed to look the word up to understand my source and help my audience to understand it if not known to them. The orders were: “Orders Establishing the..... BUREAU OF COLORED TROOPS ==================================== United States Colored Troops WAR DEPARTMENT Adjutant General's Office Washington, May 22, 1863 GENERAL ORDERS, No. 143. I. A Bureau is established in the Adjutant General's Office for the record of all matters relating to the organization of Colored Troops. An officer will be assigned to the charge of the Bureau, with such number of clerks as may be designated by the Adjutant General. II. Three or more field officers will be detailed as Inspectors to supervise the organization of colored troops at such points as may be indicated by the War Department in the Northern and Western States. III. Boards will be convened at such posts as may be decided upon by the War Department to examine applicants for commissions to command colored troops, who, on application to the Adjutant General, may receive authority to present themselves to the board for examination. IV. No persons shall be allowed to recruit for colored troops except specially authorized by the War Department; and no such authority will be given to persons who have not been examined and passed by a board; nor will such authority be given any one person to raise more than one regiment. V. The reports of Boards will specify the grade of commission for which each candidate is fit, and authority to recruit will be given in accordance. Commissions will be issued from the Adjutant General's Office when the prescribed number of men is ready for muster into service. VI. Colored troops may be accepted by companies, to be afterwards consolidated in battalions and regiments by the Adjutant General. The regiments will be numbered seriatim, in the order in which they are raised, the numbers to be determined by the Adjutant General. They will be designated: "-- Regiment of U.S. Colored Troops." VII. Recruiting stations and depots will be established by the Adjutant General as circumstances shall require, and officers will be detailed to muster and inspect the troops. VIII. The non-commissioned officers of colored troops may be selected and appointed from the best men of their number in the usual mode of appointing non-commissioned officers. Meritorious commissioned officers will be entitled to promotion to higher rank if they prove themselves equal to it. IX. All personal applications for appointments in colored regiments, or for information concerning them, must be made to the Chief of the Bureau; all written communications should be addressed to the Chief of the Bureau, to the care of the Adjutant General. BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR: E.D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant General ________________________________________ NOTE: Major Charles F. Foster, Assistant Adjutant General of U.S. Volunteers, was appointed Chief of the Bureau of the United States Colored Troops. He served in that position until October 1867.” The same day the general orders, No. 143 came with another set of general orders, No. 144. This order was for establishing boards for selecting officers. It reads like this: “WAR DEPT., ADJT. GENERAL'S OFFICE Washington, May 22,1863. GENERAL ORDERS, No. 144. The following rules are prescribed for the guidance of boards in examining applicants for commissions in regiments of colored troops: The Board will sit every day, except Sunday, from 9 o'clock a. m. to 5 o'clock p. m. The place of sitting to be provided by the Quartermaster's Department, and public notice given. The Board will make to the Adjutant-General, for record in the Bureau for Colored Troops, reports of' all persons examined, whether approved or rejected; the reports will be made weekly, or oftener when specially called for. Each applicant must exhibit to the Board authority from the Adjutant-General to appear before it. Such authority will be given upon satisfactory recommendations of good moral character and standing in the community in which the applicant resided, or, if in the military service, on testimonials from his commanding officers. All such recommendations will be filed in the Bureau .for Colored Troops. Each applicant shall be subjected to a fair but rigorous examination as to physical, mental, and moral fitness to command troops. The Board shall specify for what grade of commission the several applicants are fit, and shall also classify and number them according to merit or proficiency. Appointments to each grade shall only be made from the candidates approved by the Board, and in the order of merit recommended by it. The report of the Board, if adverse, shall be conclusive, and no person rejected by it shall be re-examined. Other instructions will be communicated to boards if required. By order of the Secretary of War: E. D. TOWNSEND, Assistant Adjutant-General. “

** Works Cited ** “Adjutant.” // The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. // 4th ed. 1973. Print Bureau of Colored Troops web site: [] [] Return to 108th Return to Home