Volume II Part 44 (1/2)
”The larger portion of these losses, amounting in the aggregate to fully twenty-five per cent. of the men under my command who were taken into action, it will be observed, fell upon the Colored Troops. The severe loss of this part of my troops was in the brilliant charge on the enemy's works on Overton Hill on Friday afternoon. I was unable to discover that _color_ made any difference in the fighting of my troops. All, white and black, n.o.bly did their duty as soldiers, and evinced cheerfulness and resolution, such as I have never seen excelled in any campaign of the war in which I have borne a part.”[106]
The following table shows the losses in this action:
-------------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----------------- | Killed.|Wounded.|Missing.| Total. | |--------+--------+--------+--------+ |Officers|Officers|Officers|Officers| | | Men | | Men| | Men| | Men | -------------------+--+-----+---+----+---+----+--+-----+----------------- Fourteenth U. S. | | | | | | | | |}Organized as the Colored Infantry | | 4 | | 41| | 20| | 65 |}First Colored Forty-fourth U. S. | | | | | | | | |}Brigade, Colored Infantry | 1| 2 | | 27| 2| 49| 3| 78 |}Colonel T. J.
Sixteenth U. S. | | | | | | | | |}Morgan, Colored Infantry | | 1 | | 2| | | | 3 |}commanding.
Eighteenth U. S. | | | | | | | | |} Colored Infantry | | 1 | | 5| | 3| | 9 |} Seventeenth U. S. | | | | | | | | |} Colored Infantry | 7| 14 | 4| 64| | | 6| 78 |} | | | | | | | | | Twelfth U. S. | | | | | | | | |{Organized as the Colored Infantry | 3| 10 | 3| 99| | | 6| 109 |{Second Colored Thirteenth U. S. | | | | | | | | |{Brigade, Col.
Colored Infantry | 4| 51 | 4| 161| | 1| 8| 213 |{C. K. Thompson, One Hundredth U.S. | | | | | | | | |{commanding.
Colored Infantry | | 12 | 5| 116| | | 5| 128 |{ | | | | | | | | | Eighteenth Ohio | | | | | | | | |}Included in the Infantry | 2| 9 | 2| 38| | 9| 4| 56 |}Provisional Sixty-eighth | | | | | | | | |}Division, Indiana Infantry | | 1 | | 7| | | | 8 |}A. C., Provisional | | | | | | | | |}Brigadier- Division, A. C. | 1| 19 | 3| 74| | 33| 4| 126 |}General Cruft, | | | | | | | | |}commanding.
Twentieth Indiana | | | | | | | | | Battery | | | 2| 6| | | 2| 6 |Captain Osborn.
|--+-----+---+----+---+----+--+-----+ Aggregate |18| 124 | 23| 640| 2| 115|38| 879 | | | | | | | | | 38 | | | | | | | | -----| Total | | | | | | | | 917 | -------------------+--+-----+---+----+---+----+--+-----+-----------------
At the battle of Appomattox a division of picked Colored Troops (Gen.
Birney[107]) accomplished some most desperate and brilliant fighting, and received the praise of the white troops who acted as their support.
From the day the Government put arms into the hands of Negro soldiers to the last hour of the Slave-holders' Rebellion they rendered effective aid in suppressing the rebellion and in saving the Union.
They fought a twofold battle--conquered the prejudices and fears of the white people of the North and the swaggering insolence and lofty confidence of the South.
As to the efficiency of Negroes as soldiers abundant testimony awaits the hand of the historian. The following letter speaks for itself.
ADJ.-GEN. THOMAS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS.
”WAR DEP'T, ADJ.-GENERAL'S OFFICE, } ”WAs.h.i.+NGTON, May 30, 1864. }
”Hon. H. WILSON:
”DEAR SIR: On several occasions when on the Mississippi River, I contemplated writing to you respecting the colored troops and to suggest that, as they have been fully tested as soldiers, their pay should be raised to that of white troops, and I desire now to give my testimony in their behalf. You are aware that I have been engaged in the organization of freedmen for over a year, and have necessarily been thrown in constant contact with them.
”The negro in a state of slavery is brought up by the master, from early childhood, to strict obedience and to obey implicitly the dictates of the white man, and they are thus led to believe that they are an inferior race. Now, when organized into troops, they carry this habit of obedience with them, and their officers being entirely white men, the negroes promptly obey their orders.
”A regiment is thus rapidly brought into a state of discipline.
They are a religious people--another high quality for making good soldiers. They are a musical people, and thus readily learn to march and accurately perform their manoeuvres. They take pride in being elevated as soldiers, and keep themselves, as their camp grounds, neat and clean. This I know from special inspection, two of my staff-officers being constantly on inspecting duty. They have proved a most important addition to our forces, enabling the Generals in active operations to take a large force of white troops into the field; and now brigades of blacks are placed with the whites. The forts erected at the important points on the river are nearly all garrisoned by blacks--artillery regiments raised for the purpose,--say at Paducah and Columbus, Kentucky, Memphis, Tennessee, Vicksburg and Natchez, Mississippi and most of the works around New Orleans.
”Experience proves that they manage heavy guns very well. Their fighting qualities have also been fully tested a number of times, and I am yet to hear of the first case where they did not fully stand up to their work. I pa.s.sed over the ground where the 1st Louisiana made the gallant charge at Port Hudson, by far the stronger part of the rebel works. The wonder is that so many have made their escape. At Milliken's Bend where I had three incomplete regiments,--one without arms until the day previous to the attack,--greatly superior numbers of the rebels charged furiously up to the very breastworks. The negroes met the enemy on the ramparts, and both sides freely used the bayonet--a most rare occurrence in warfare, as one of the other party gives way before coming in contact with the steel. The rebels were defeated With heavy loss. The bridge at Moscow, on the line of railroad from Memphis to Corinth, was defended by one small regiment of blacks. A cavalry attack of three times their number was made, the blacks defeating them in three charges made by the Rebels.
”They fought them hours till our cavalry came up, when the defeat was made complete, many of the dead being left on the field.
”A cavalry force of three hundred and fifty attacked three hundred rebel cavalry near the Big Black with signal success, a number of prisoners being taken and marched to Vicksburg. Forrest attacked Paducah with 7,500 men. The garrison was between 500 and 600, nearly 400 being colored troops recently raised. What troops could have done better? So, too, they fought well at Fort Pillow till overpowered by greatly superior numbers.
”The above enumerated cases seem to me sufficient to demonstrate the value of the colored troops.
”I have the honor to be, very respectfully,
”Your obedient servant, ”L. THOMAS, _Adj.-General_.
In regard to the conduct of the Colored Troops at Petersburg, a correspondent to the ”Boston Journal” gave the following account from the lips of Gen. Smith:
”A few days ago I sat in the tent of Gen. W. F. Smith, commander of the 18th Corps, and heard his narration of the manner in which Gen. Hinks' division of colored troops stood the fire and charged upon the Rebel works east of Petersburg on the 16th of June. There were thirteen guns pouring a constant fire of shot and sh.e.l.l upon those troops, enfilading the line, cutting it lengthwise and crosswise, 'Yet they stood unmoved for _six hours_. Not a man flinched. [These are the words of the General.]