African American soldiers played an important role during the American Civil War and both their military struggles and societal post-war battles contain fascinating stories that benefit modern Americans.
Unfortunately, many students of African American history face greater difficulty than other researchers in tracking down information on their ancestors due to incomplete plantation records or a lack of birth and death certificates during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries for both many free blacks and for slaves.
The stratus of classifications for African Americans on their status becomes even more interesting when pursuing information on southern Louisiana society as the blurring of racial identity led to complex social and economic levels often ignored by other parts of the country.
Fortunately, researchers who know that their ancestors fought in the famous war or those who find this era interesting have resources to help them learn more about these brave soldiers, in particular, those who either called Louisiana home or else traveled to the state for battle.
Soldiers for the Confederacy, Union
Although controversial and complicated as a topic, there were African American soldiers who fought for the Confederacy in addition to those who served the Union. The soldiers on both sides were a mix of slaves, former slaves, and free-born men.
Both groups of soldiers were underappreciated during their time and still remain fairly unknown, except for the Massachusetts 54th Regiment under Robert Gould Shaw, who were finally lauded as courageous heroes in the Oscar-winning movie Glory.
The Strange Case of the New Orleans Free Soldiers
- James G. Hollandsworth’s The Louisiana Natives Guards: The Black Experience During the Civil War. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8071-1939-3.
Hollandsworth details the ironic turn of a unit first commissioned by the Louisiana government to create a Confederate group of New Orleans’ free African Americans to help protect New Orleans from northern military advances.
The unit was later incorporated into the federal forces after the Confederacy lost New Orleans and the black soldiers then fought against their fellow southerners in the Battle of Port Hudson, north of Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River.
- Barrow, Charles Kelly. Black Southerners in Confederate Armies: A Collection of Historical Accounts. Gretna, LA: Pelican Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-1-5898-0455-5.
This offers a more general history about the African Americans who served the Confederacy rather than just relying on those from Louisiana but gives broader context for research.
Additional Research Sources
Researchers may find it necessary to use library resources to uncover additional information on these culturally forgotten soldiers.
Although it may be easiest to find the following sources in large city or university libraries, museums and libraries dedicated to African American history or Civil War history should not be overlooked.
Smaller, local libraries may also participate in inter-library loan programs which would allow convenient access in return for a short waiting period of a few days to a few weeks.
Reference Books on African American Union Soldiers
These books are usually best used in conjunction with library or museum resources due to a prohibitive cost for personal ownership.
- Roster of Union Soldiers, 1861 – 1865, 33 vols. ISBN 1-56837-306-6
Volume 23 deals with Louisiana soldiers in addition to those of nine other states including Missouri and Kansas.
- Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, 70 vols. ISBN 1-56837-001-6.
The MOLLUS contains information on Union veterans from southern states.
- The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861-1865, 9 vols. ISBN 1-56837-358-9.
This discusses the recruitment by the federal forces of African Americans to the United States Colored Troops.
Books on Identifying Confederate African American Soldiers
- Confederate Military History, 19 vols. ISBN 0-916107-62-0.
Volume 13 concentrates on Louisiana’s contributions to the Confederacy.
Microfilm for Academic or Genealogical Use
Some microfilm sources of interest for studying Louisiana’s African American soldiers include the following:
- Southern Women and Their Families in the 19th Century: Papers and Diaries, Part 3: Louisiana and Mississippi Collections. ISBN 1-55655-296-3.
- Series I. Selections from Louisiana State University
Part 1: Louisiana Sugar Plantations, ISBN 1-55655-101-0.
Part 2: La. and Misc. Southern Cotton Plantations, ISBN 1-55655-102-9.
- Record of the Southern Claims Commission, 1871-1880.
Part 1: Florida, Louisiana, Texas and West Virginia. ISBN 0-88692-690-4
Louisiana’s Unique Blend of Cultures and History
This underserved topic would benefit from additional research and scholarly work, especially in the broader context of the unique contributions of African Americans to Louisiana’s cultural, economic, and post-war society.
Bonnye Good - Bonnye Busbice Good received an Editor's Choice award for her article on Your Historic Home's Interior Design Secrets and has also written ...
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