This article is one focused on the experiences of black soldiers in the Civil War and how being in the regiments gave soldiers new life experiences that they would have never otherwise had, and how that changed soldier's lives. The authors Dora L. Costa and Matthew E. Kahn jump in on the ongoing debate as to whether or not having diverse regiments in the Civil War was beneficial to not only the unit, but also to the soldiers. While this evaluation is important, my focus on the article is based more on two sections titled "The Black Military Experience" and "Black Company Formation and Diversity".
The first section provides me with a wealth of background knowledge of the scope and experience of black soldiers. By the end of the Civil War 186,017 black soldiers served in the war effort. (Costa and Kahn, 938) The scale of soldiers that participated in the north was entirely different from the south as 78% of eligible black men from the north served, where as only 11% of eligible black men served in the Confederacy. (Costa and Kahn, 938) This section serves as a great secondary source in providing a summary of what blacks experienced in the war that I would have otherwise not know. Like the fact that black soldiers early in the war were not likely to be sent into war because they were not trusted as soldiers. (Costa and Kahn, 939).
The next section also relates to my research because it directly addresses types of black regiments and the levels of diversity. Although there might not have been racial diversity in all units, there was a hierarchy of blacks within black units. (Costa and Kahn, 940.) According to the authors, white officers of black regiments were either abolitionists or opportunist who saw the opportunity to improve their ranking. (Costa and Kahn, 940). While the rest of the article is useful, these two sections give me the big picture of what black regiments were like, and helps create background knowledge that will allow me to dig deeper into the subject of what was the Civil War like for black soldiers. With this information I am also able to hone in more on time frames such as early in the war, the experience of black soldiers will be completely different from the experiences of a black soldier late in the war.
Costa, Dora L. and Kahn, Matthew E. "Forging a New Identity: The Costs and Benefits of Diversity in Civil War Combat Units for Black Slaves and Freemen."The Journal of Economic History December 2006: 936-962.
Max, your post sounds really interesting! I never knew there was a hierarchy among black units, though when thinking about it, I suppose it makes sense. Are you planning on analyzing both the Union and the Confederacy, or just focusing on one side? Good luck in your research.
ReplyDeleteMax, really interesting read. The one question that popped into my mind while reading it though is were there any black women nurses? I know it doesn't seem related, but it would be interesting for your topic to know if the black soldiers were injured, how and by whom they were treated. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteJenn:
DeleteI think that would be an extremely interesting topic! I know that although much of the North was against slavery, there were still many voices that were not for equality. There could have been special black tents for care. Although in the battle I am currently reading about, Fort Pillow. there seems to just be one medical tent. Not sure if there were a division of nurses though.
McKenzie:
ReplyDeleteI have now changed focus of my paper and the new topic will be much more two sided focus, not just union. I had assumed originally that black soldiers would all kind of be a untied lower class of soldiers but I should have known better since a unit could not function that way and black soldiers had the same talent discrepancies that white soldiers had.