The Union army became a refuge for formerly enslaved African Americans in 1862. The Second Confiscation Act declared that enslaved people taking refuge behind Union lines would be set free. Across the South, black freedom seekers flocked to the Federals, and worked as laborers, cooks, and teamsters. But many wanted to fight in battle. And fight, they did.
In 1862 and 1863, forward-thinking Union commanders began forming units like the 1st and 3rd Mississippi Regiments, African Descent. But many Northerners were skeptical about the decision to accept blacks into military service. The tide of public opinion quickly turned after heroic action by black troops in 1863 at Port Hudson and Milliken's Bend along the Mississippi.
[Photo captions]
Bottom left: By early 1863, white recruits had slowed to a trickle. The Union army desperately needed more men. Creating black regiments brought an infusion of new soldiers-helping the North keep a numerical advantage over the South, and win the war.
Bottom right: These soldiers were among the first formerly enslaved men to join the Union army.
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