Maryland in the Civil War:
African-American Participation
The legacy of African-American involvement in the Civil War is important to both the Union and Confederate causes. African Americans fought bravely alongside their white counterparts.
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Medal of Honor recipient,
Christian Fleetwood
(U.S. National Park Service)
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The National Archives estimates that 179,000 black men served in the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) for the Union Army while almost another 20,000 served with the Union Navy.
The Confederate military had more than 65,000 African-American troops, and there were situations where black and white served and fought together.
Maryland’s African-American soldiers served proudly in the War. Assembling the USCT began at Camp Stanton in Benedict, Maryland (Charles County). While black troops trained at Benedict, there were still thousands of slaves living in the area surrounding the Camp.
Eventually, at least one third of Maryland's enslaved black men fought in the military. About 9,000 men from Maryland enlisted in six black regiments of the USCT. Many also served in the Union Navy, sharing their knowledge of the waters in the Chesapeake region.
Of the African Americans who were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism during the Civil War, five were born in Maryland.
Selected Links on Maryland’s African-American Soldiers
in the Civil War:
The Black Military Experience in the Civil War
From Freedmen and Southern Society Project at the University of Maryland, Department of History. Contains primary documents.
History and Roster of Maryland Volunteers, Volume 2
Archives of Maryland Online from the Maryland State Archives. Contains rosters and activities of the regiment infantries, U.S. Colored Troops.
United States Colored Troops. Residents of Baltimore at the time of the 1890 Census
List of names and addresses of survivors who fought with the Colored Troops during the Civil War.
History of African Americans in the Civil War
National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. Good overview of African American participation in the War with many links to relevant actions.
United States Colored Troops histories
Links to histories of all six USCT regiments.
Organization of United States Colored Troops in the Border States
Lists all USCT regiments in Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri. Links provide date of origin, description of the regiment and rosters of all members.
Maryland in the Civil War:
Introduction
Battles in Maryland
Biography and Personal Narratives
Maryland Regiments
Monuments, Museums and Historic Sites
Prominent Marylanders in the Civil War
Selected References
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