Black Regulars and Militiamen in the War of 1812

The Black American soldier was a rarity between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. When Congress passed the Militia Act of 1792, it required that "every free able-bodied white male citizen" join his state militia. It is implied that non-whites could not participate in the militia but it left open the possibility that non-whites could join the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army did permit Blacks to serve in the army, but only as cooks or officer's servants between the two wars. Cracks in these r...