Black Militia’s Formation Essay example - 1580 Words

In such a controversial period regarding the spread of slavery and state’s rights, the Louisiana black militia’s formation and involvement during the Civil War was not one without strife. The Union and Confederacy were both divergent in issues regarding the black population. It was only innate the black population would assist in the struggle which would determine their future to be free from subrogation. In order to review the history of the Civil War, it is only practical to view the involvement of black men during this struggle. James G. Hollandsworth, Jr. explores the social, political, and military aspects of the first, second, and third regiments of the Louisiana Native Guards during the Civil War. This topic of black militias is†¦show more content†¦Hollandsworth provides information on the inequality black soldiers faced by the Union. Hollandsworth illustrates this discrimination through incidents of unequal duties and sentiments of inequality by the w hite Union forces towards the black soldiers. Hollandsworth uses quotations by General Benjamin F. Butler to form a foundation for this argument of discrimination by the white Union soldier towards black Union soldiers. The black soldiers in the Union militias were viewed upon by their counterparts in many of the same ways as the Confederacy viewed them. General Butler suggests the black men, because of their prior master and slave relationship, were well fit for duty due to their ability to follow orders. (18, 19) Butler’s view of the black man is evident when he views many of the freed slaves as property and inducts them into the Union forces through the Confiscation Act. (20) Hollandsworth also illustrates the unequal division of labor to suggest the discrimination of black soldiers by the white Union forces. Prevalent is the inequality of the division of duties amongst the white and black Union soldiers. (97) The black militias were subjected to fatigue duty while their w hite counterparts prepared themselves for battle. (97) Most of these duties consisted of ditch digging and preparing roads for the Union forces maneuvers. (97) Butler viewed the fatigue duty as natural tasks to black soldiers. (97) Another incident