54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

African Americans and The Civil War The Civil War was a hard time for African American Soldiers and their families. Although it is usually thought of as “the war on slavery,” that does not mean that the union treated the newly freed slaves equally. One hundred and eighty thousand African Americans in some 163 units served the Union Army. They served and gave their lives for our country just as the white soldiers had. However, they were not nearly treated the same. African Americans faced great…

are supposed to unite their nations adhere to such idea of divisiveness. The movie, Glory (1989), shows the evident impact of racism in a country that is in civil war. It tells the story of the Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first African-American units in the Union Army. The movie shows how black people are denied not only of their privileges but also of their rights just because they are…

Did you know black Union soldiers refused their salaries for 18 months to protest being paid lower wages than white soldiers? When black soldiers began signing up with the Union Army in early 1863, they were paid $10 a month. White soldiers were paid at least $13, with officers earning more. Blacks were further insulted and charged a $3 monthly fee for clothing, lowing their pay to $7. For about 18 months, black soldiers protested and refused their salaries. In september 1864, black soldiers…

Many cavalry regiments in the Army of the Potomac were also outfitted with breech-loaders. Infantry regiments in the Army of the Potomac were at the time outfitted with muzzleloaders. A muzzle loading rifle musket like the one with which Lindsey would have been armed could have been loaded and fired three times per minute by a trained soldier…