“Though often overlooked, 200,000 Black Americans fought to save the union during the Civil War, helping end the evil institution of slavery and ensuring the United States would endure,” said Sen. They were, however, allowed to serve as nurses, cooks, spies, and scouts for the Army and the Navy. Black women were not allowed to formally enlist as soldiers or sailors. On May 22, 1863, the United States War Department issued General Order Number 143, which established the Bureau of Colored Troops for the recruitment and organization of regiments of the Union Army composed of African American men, called the United States Colored Troops.īy the end of the war, about 179,000 Black men served as soldiers in the Army, and another 19,000 Black men served in the Navy. Yet, there was resistance to enlisting African Americans to take up arms at the start of the Civil War. Since the colonial era, African Americans have served the United States in times of war. WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced today, during the first week of Black History Month, that they will introduce a bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 200,000 African Americans who fought to preserve the Union during the Civil War.
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