Army Life in a Black Regiment

by Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Overview

These pages record some of the adventures of the First South Carolina Volunteers, the first slave regiment mustered into the service of the United States during the late civil war. It was, indeed, the first colored regiment of any kind so mustered, except a portion of the troops raised by Major-General Butler at New Orleans. These scarcely belonged to the same class, however, being recruited from the free colored population of that city, a comparatively self-reliant and educated race. "The darkest of them," said General Butler, "were about the complexion of the late Mr. Webster."
The First South Carolina, on the other hand, contained scarcely a freeman, had not one mulatto in ten, and a far smaller proportion who could read or write when enlisted. The only contemporary regiment of a similar character was the "First Kansas Colored," which began recruiting a little earlier, though it was not mustered in the usual basis of military seniority till later. [See Appendix] These were the only colored regiments recruited during the year 1862. The Second South Carolina and the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts followed early in 1863.
This is the way in which I came to the command of this regiment. One day in November, 1862, I was sitting at dinner with my lieutenants, John Goodell and Luther Bigelow, in the barracks of the Fifty-First Massachusetts, Colonel Sprague, when the following letter was put into my hands:
BEAUFORT, S. C., November 5, 1862.
MY DEAR SIR.
I am organizing the First Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers, with every prospect of success. Your name has been spoken of, in connection with the command of this regiment, by some friends in whose judgment I have confidence. I take great pleasure in offering you the position of Colonel in it, and hope that you may be induced to accept. I shall not fill the place until I hear from you, or sufficient time shall have passed for me to receive your reply. Should you accept, I enclose a pass for Port Royal, of which I trust you will feel disposed to avail yourself at once. I am, with sincere regard, yours truly,
R. SAXTON, Brig.-Genl, Mil. Gov.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781530844630
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	01/01/1900
Pages:	158
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.34(d)

About the Author

Howard N. Meyer is a civil rights historian and author of a biography of Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Colonel of a Black Regiment.

Table of Contents

Introduction by R.D. Madison
Suggestions for Further Reading
A Note on the Texts

Army Life in a Black Regiment
CHAPTER I. Introductory
CHAPTER II. Camp Diary
CHAPTER III. Up the St. Mary's
CHAPTER IV. Up the St. John's
CHAPTER V. Out on Picket
CHAPTER VI. A Night in the Water
CHAPTER VII. Up the Edisto
CHAPTER VIII. The Baby of the Regiment
CHAPTER IX. Negro Spirituals
CHAPTER X. Life at Camp Shaw
CHAPTER XI. Florida Again?
CHAPTER XII. The Negro as a Soldier
CHAPTER XIII. Conclusion

APPENDIX
A. Roster of Officers
B. The First Black Soldiers
C. General Saxton's Instructions
D. The Struggle for Pay
E. Farewell Address

RELATED READINGS
A Visit to John Brown's Household in 1859
Nat Turner's Insurrection
Letter to a Young Contributor
Some War Scenes Revisited
Emily Dickinson's Letters

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Editorial Reviews

Higginson was a Union colonel in charge of training black troops during the Civil War. He provides the officer's perspective on these recruits in a series of essays published in 1870. His observations range from camp life to a treatise on "The Negro as a Soldier." Though the book is not out of print, Dover's version is the most affordable edition currently available. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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