War Between the States trivia thread

[Milkman]

What was the first black regiment mustered in by the Union during the Civil War?

54th Mass ???

 

[Resica]

54th Mass ???

Further southwest from there.

 

[JustUs4All]

1st South Carolina (Federal)

 

[Resica]

1st South Carolina (Federal)

Well, the info I saw indicated it was further southwest than that.

 

[JustUs4All]

Google said, but did you find something in Lousiana?

 

[Resica]

I saw where the 1st Louisiana mustered in Sept. 1862, They became 73rd Regiment U.S. Colored Troops I believe.

 

[JustUs4All]

There is an interesting article at the web site of "LFW Publications "Lest We Forget African American Military History"
http://www.lwfaam.net/cwdata/hisusct.htm.
The author does not cite his sources, but makes the following claimes:

1. General David Hunter, Commander of the Department of the South, issued an Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slave in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida in May 1862. The act was repudiated by the Lincoln administration. Shortly thereafter. General Hunter, without permission began recruiting ex-slaves from the Sea Islands area for formation into the 1st Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers. The regiment attracted much attention and helped prepare the country to accept black troops. However, President Lincoln and the War Department forced the disbandment, with the exception of one company.

2. In August 1862, General Jim Lane, an abolitionist and who some called and outlaw and renegade, over the opposition of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, organized a black regiment in Kansas. The 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment was made up of ex-slaves from Arkansas, Missouri, and the Indian Territory. The regiment fought its first battle on October 27 and 28 at Island Mound, Missouri before being mustered into federal service. The regiment was mustered in service on January 13, 1863 and in 1864 was redesignated the 79th United States Colored Infantry Regiment (New).

3. Later in August 1862, General Benjamin Butler reversed his position and decided to recruit free blacks, however, no one asked the recruits whether they had been free men of slaves before the war. Despite War Department specific approval, General Butler quickly mustered into federal service the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Regiments of the Louisiana Native Guards. It was reported that the commanders of the units had offered their services to the Confederacy and was turned down.

4. There were no organized black units at Gettysburg or many of the other major battles so prominent published. In many of those battles there were probably more blacks serving with the Confederates as body servants, teamsters, etc., than with the Union forces.

Interesting stuff, what? The Louisiana troops could easily have been the first actually mustered into service officially.

 

[Resica]

There is an interesting article at the web site of "LFW Publications "Lest We Forget African American Military History"
http://www.lwfaam.net/cwdata/hisusct.htm.
The author does not cite his sources, but makes the following claimes:

1. General David Hunter, Commander of the Department of the South, issued an Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slave in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida in May 1862. The act was repudiated by the Lincoln administration. Shortly thereafter. General Hunter, without permission began recruiting ex-slaves from the Sea Islands area for formation into the 1st Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers. The regiment attracted much attention and helped prepare the country to accept black troops. However, President Lincoln and the War Department forced the disbandment, with the exception of one company.

2. In August 1862, General Jim Lane, an abolitionist and who some called and outlaw and renegade, over the opposition of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, organized a black regiment in Kansas. The 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment was made up of ex-slaves from Arkansas, Missouri, and the Indian Territory. The regiment fought its first battle on October 27 and 28 at Island Mound, Missouri before being mustered into federal service. The regiment was mustered in service on January 13, 1863 and in 1864 was redesignated the 79th United States Colored Infantry Regiment (New).

3. Later in August 1862, General Benjamin Butler reversed his position and decided to recruit free blacks, however, no one asked the recruits whether they had been free men of slaves before the war. Despite War Department specific approval, General Butler quickly mustered into federal service the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Regiments of the Louisiana Native Guards. It was reported that the commanders of the units had offered their services to the Confederacy and was turned down.

4. There were no organized black units at Gettysburg or many of the other major battles so prominent published. In many of those battles there were probably more blacks serving with the Confederates as body servants, teamsters, etc., than with the Union forces.

Interesting stuff, what? The Louisiana troops could easily have been the first actually mustered into service officially.

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

 

[westcobbdog]

wonder how the beast Butler treated and viewed colored men as soldiers? Wish the South would have followed Pat Cleburnes suggestion and armed em' for the Southern cause, way before Lee suggested it. Good read, thanks.

 

[RBM]

In many of those battles there were probably more blacks serving with the Confederates as body servants, teamsters, etc., than with the Union forces.

No joke. Drummers, buglers, musicians, cooks, nurses/orderlies, teamsters for artillery, pilots and freight handlers in the CSN. These "support personnel" did fight when necessary and are verified by Confederate pensions. In many instances they stated that they were soldiers and the word "soldier" was crossed out and one of the support personnel names was inserted. These men clearly fought in integrated or biracial units when needed especially when State governments were threatened with a Federal raid. There were not a lot but there were a few free blacks that were privates in front line units and this can be verified by pensions. No all black units though. Organized black Confederate troops did not occur until the closing years of the war and then only limited. Cold Harbor comes to mind for one where blacks were issued rifles (yes I read this about Cold Harbor from annals or chronicles, not from a history book or other media).

Here are a few links

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/blackcs.htm

http://www.blackconfederatesoldiers.com/

Pretty eye opening. I had forgotten about blacks at Petersburg and I never knew about them as units at 1st Manassas.

 

[westcobbdog]

Forrest declared that any of his slaves that fought or drove a team for the south would be free after the war..25-35 took his offer, then he amended his will to add if he was killed beforehand in battle they should be freed.

 

[JustUs4All]

But, But, But, Wasn't Forrest a racist slave trader who took it upon himself to form the hated Ku Klux after the War in order to keep the former slaves down?

 

[RBM]

Who stated that men in the Confederacy had successfully fought for their own rights with inferior numbers during the Civil War and that the northern historians ignored this view?

 

[RBM]

Who stated that men in the Confederacy had successfully fought for their own rights with inferior numbers during the Civil War and that the northern historians ignored this view?

I guess enough time has passed. The answer is Jefferson Davis.

What was the first of the CSN foreign-built commerce raiders that was commissioned? Hint: she was called a cruiser.

 

[JustUs4All]

I know the Alabama was built for the CSA in England, but I don't know that she was the first.

 

[RBM]

Not the Alabama that was a single stacker. This one is a two stacker and she was considered a blockade runner.

 

[Resica]

How about the C.S.S. Sumter?

 

[RBM]

How about the C.S.S. Sumter?

Good guess but the Sumter was a single stacker that went down in a gale near the spot the Alabama was sunk. But its not the Sumter.

The answer is the CSS Florida.

Everyone knows the CSS Hunley called a privateer submersible torpedo boat. Can you name the other two? The first boat was tested in 1862. There is virtually no record for the other one (name is questionable) that was presumably scuttled in Louisiana to keep it out of Federal hands. These subs are on record.

If anyone gets even one of these two then the next question is over to you.

After looking over an old newspaper article from Harper's Weekly, an attack by an unnamed Confederate sub was made as early as Nov.2, 1861 but the sub (called a rebel infernal machine by the newspaper) caught in its target's grappling from the jig-boom end of the ship and the sub was captured but the two-man crew escaped to the safety of the Virginia shore. So that makes a fourth sub in the CSN that we have absolutely no name for. So for now, I am calling it the CSN Norfolk sub.

Harper's Weekly article
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/Confederate_Submarine.htm

Federal intelligence called the CSS Manassas a "hellish machine." So the name calling of Confederate ships was standard language for the Federals.

 

[RBM]

Everyone knows the CSS Hunley called a privateer submersible torpedo boat. Can you name the other two?

CSS Pioneer.

The CSN Bayou St. John or Bayou St. John Confederate submarine. This sub really had no name and was named after the location it was found. Both subs were scuttled in Louisiana.

Who was the C.S. Navy Secretary or Secretary of the Department of the Navy? As Navy Secretary he built the C. S. Navy into something very formidable to achieve the goals it needed to win the war.

 

[RBM]

Now I knew the submarine question was hard but I figured somebody would know the C.S. Navy Secretary.

Former customs inspector, maritime lawyer, and Florida Senator, Stephen Mallory. He also took part with the Army in the Seminole War.

What kind of ship was primarily used for river defense?