Posted on Feb 24, 2023
Black History Month: Archiving the Civil War service of Black soldiers and sailors
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Civil War buffs can take a hands-on role in preserving the legacy of the “United States Colored Troops” by serving as “citizen archivists,” making sure these soldiers’ military records, and other historical documents, are safeguarded and shared with the public.
“Since the time of the American Revolution, African Americans have volunteered to serve their country in time of war,” wrote National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) volunteer Budge Weidman in an article about the project. “The Civil War was no exception — official sanction was the difficulty.”
The project inviting citizens to help tag, transcribe and comment on the service records of those who served in the USCT grew out of a larger archival effort to microfilm the Civil War records of Union volunteer soldiers, Weidman said. (She noted that NARA records of those who served the Confederacy during the Civil War — which began April 12, 1861, and ended April 9, 1865 — are already on microfilm.)
Archivists estimate that 185,000 people served in the USCT, a figure that includes Black troops and officers who were not Black, according to Weidman.
From slavery to military service
Black History Month is an occasion to share the remarkable story of African American military service uncovered by this volunteer Civil War Conservation Corps and official NARA archivists. Thanks to them, these records are forever more accessible to any student of history, whenever they’re ready to unearth the unsung tales of Black service members’ bravery and sacrifice.
When they do, they’ll discover people like Charles Sprout, an African American born in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, who toiled in servitude on the slave-run farm of J. Horace Lacey.
A simple notation in Sprout’s file, “Free Apl 18/61,” indicates that he fled bondage at age 19 in 1861 — at the start of the war but two years before the 1863 issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
At age 21, after just two years as a free man, Sprout on Dec. 12 arrived at Fort Monroe, Virginia, to volunteer for a three-year tour in the Union Army. He became a private in the 1st United States Colored Calvary and served until 1866, his records show.
After the war, Sprout moved to a place called Wilderness Tavern, Virginia, not far from the Fredericksburg plantation he fled in his late teen years, according to a NARA video about his story.
Sprout worked at the tavern and, in 1897, married Fannie Ward. The couple’s only child appeared to have been an adopted son, according to a listing on Find A Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15938941/charles-sprout).
In the post-war years, Sprout received a small monthly pension of $6 as compensation for his service-related injuries and ailments, which included heart and back problems.
Sprout repeatedly submitted medical evidence to increase that sum, the records show (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/76061018). By 1908, as Sprout entered his 60s, his pension had doubled to $12 a month. By his seventies, he was receiving $50 a month in pension payments.
Following his death on Feb. 13, 1926, Sprout was buried in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery alongside over 15,000 other Union soldiers and sailors laid to rest there.
“I think it’s very important for us to have someone like Charles Sprout here,” a National Park Service ranger says in the video, “because he almost epitomizes what the Civil War was all about.”
Bringing service histories to life
Along with thousands of other African American service members who fought to preserve the Union, Sprout’s story — of fleeing slavery, putting his life on the line to end it, and living and working near where he was once enslaved — is told through original muster rolls, returns, books and morning reports, and medical files.
“To have a file of documents and information like that which exists for Charles Sprout is really integral for us to be able to go ahead and share those stories with the public,” the ranger says.
Learn more
Read more stories of USCT service in Weidman’s article: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/article.html
Search the main database of USCT records: https://catalog.archives.gov/search?page=1&q=uscotrp-ts1
Learn how to become a “citizen archivist”: https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/missions/history
Watch “Charles Sprout: A Civil War Soldier Revisited”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P07gWZEy_Zw&t=223s
“Since the time of the American Revolution, African Americans have volunteered to serve their country in time of war,” wrote National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) volunteer Budge Weidman in an article about the project. “The Civil War was no exception — official sanction was the difficulty.”
The project inviting citizens to help tag, transcribe and comment on the service records of those who served in the USCT grew out of a larger archival effort to microfilm the Civil War records of Union volunteer soldiers, Weidman said. (She noted that NARA records of those who served the Confederacy during the Civil War — which began April 12, 1861, and ended April 9, 1865 — are already on microfilm.)
Archivists estimate that 185,000 people served in the USCT, a figure that includes Black troops and officers who were not Black, according to Weidman.
From slavery to military service
Black History Month is an occasion to share the remarkable story of African American military service uncovered by this volunteer Civil War Conservation Corps and official NARA archivists. Thanks to them, these records are forever more accessible to any student of history, whenever they’re ready to unearth the unsung tales of Black service members’ bravery and sacrifice.
When they do, they’ll discover people like Charles Sprout, an African American born in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, who toiled in servitude on the slave-run farm of J. Horace Lacey.
A simple notation in Sprout’s file, “Free Apl 18/61,” indicates that he fled bondage at age 19 in 1861 — at the start of the war but two years before the 1863 issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
At age 21, after just two years as a free man, Sprout on Dec. 12 arrived at Fort Monroe, Virginia, to volunteer for a three-year tour in the Union Army. He became a private in the 1st United States Colored Calvary and served until 1866, his records show.
After the war, Sprout moved to a place called Wilderness Tavern, Virginia, not far from the Fredericksburg plantation he fled in his late teen years, according to a NARA video about his story.
Sprout worked at the tavern and, in 1897, married Fannie Ward. The couple’s only child appeared to have been an adopted son, according to a listing on Find A Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15938941/charles-sprout).
In the post-war years, Sprout received a small monthly pension of $6 as compensation for his service-related injuries and ailments, which included heart and back problems.
Sprout repeatedly submitted medical evidence to increase that sum, the records show (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/76061018). By 1908, as Sprout entered his 60s, his pension had doubled to $12 a month. By his seventies, he was receiving $50 a month in pension payments.
Following his death on Feb. 13, 1926, Sprout was buried in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery alongside over 15,000 other Union soldiers and sailors laid to rest there.
“I think it’s very important for us to have someone like Charles Sprout here,” a National Park Service ranger says in the video, “because he almost epitomizes what the Civil War was all about.”
Bringing service histories to life
Along with thousands of other African American service members who fought to preserve the Union, Sprout’s story — of fleeing slavery, putting his life on the line to end it, and living and working near where he was once enslaved — is told through original muster rolls, returns, books and morning reports, and medical files.
“To have a file of documents and information like that which exists for Charles Sprout is really integral for us to be able to go ahead and share those stories with the public,” the ranger says.
Learn more
Read more stories of USCT service in Weidman’s article: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/article.html
Search the main database of USCT records: https://catalog.archives.gov/search?page=1&q=uscotrp-ts1
Learn how to become a “citizen archivist”: https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/missions/history
Watch “Charles Sprout: A Civil War Soldier Revisited”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P07gWZEy_Zw&t=223s
American History
Military History
Black History
Black Lives Matter
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 10
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What of the Black soldiers of the Confederacy??
There were several battles in which colored troops from both sides were engaged in battle.
There were several battles in which colored troops from both sides were engaged in battle.
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Amn Dale Preisach
SPC Will Thorson we're Talking about when Americans fought Americans. From an Historical Perspective. Without the EmOtIoNs you seem to put into it. Once we fully understand a thing, we can make ways to have it not happen again.
Are you this emotional about Politics? If so, you're part of the Problem.
Too many people use their emotions and think it's Life or death that their side/ team/ person/ or even an animal must prevail or all heck's going to break loose. It just ain't so.
Politics goes back and forth. Sometimes one issue being dealt with is singled out by the media... and most people get irate when this issue is raised. Whatever the issue De Jour is at the Time. And we take up sides and argue it out amongst ourselves. Them scare the voters tactics are employed , usually with half truths and propaganda . And emotions come into play. Then we call each-other names and go all out . Even threats of physical harm and inferences of " i wouldn't do that if I were you ! " are made. Over some thing as unimportant as a tweet made by a politician.
Let's stop with the "
Left /Right nonsense and and get back to being Americans FIRST . All the other BS can just be flushed away.
And with dealing with History, don't get emotional when the History is over 50 years ago. Or however many years ago.
Just look at it from the Present. And don't get emotional when any 2 or more peopl are talking about it without Remembering how tragic it was. I hear you complaining but i don't hear any solutions coming from you other than in a round about way saying " shut up , your horrible people discussing " x" just stop and remember the feelings of those involved... "
Get over it. Get past the Emotion of it. Discuss History in a way that you discuss a little league baseball team. Who you don't have a person on it.
It's not Life or death.
It's History.
Are you this emotional about Politics? If so, you're part of the Problem.
Too many people use their emotions and think it's Life or death that their side/ team/ person/ or even an animal must prevail or all heck's going to break loose. It just ain't so.
Politics goes back and forth. Sometimes one issue being dealt with is singled out by the media... and most people get irate when this issue is raised. Whatever the issue De Jour is at the Time. And we take up sides and argue it out amongst ourselves. Them scare the voters tactics are employed , usually with half truths and propaganda . And emotions come into play. Then we call each-other names and go all out . Even threats of physical harm and inferences of " i wouldn't do that if I were you ! " are made. Over some thing as unimportant as a tweet made by a politician.
Let's stop with the "
Left /Right nonsense and and get back to being Americans FIRST . All the other BS can just be flushed away.
And with dealing with History, don't get emotional when the History is over 50 years ago. Or however many years ago.
Just look at it from the Present. And don't get emotional when any 2 or more peopl are talking about it without Remembering how tragic it was. I hear you complaining but i don't hear any solutions coming from you other than in a round about way saying " shut up , your horrible people discussing " x" just stop and remember the feelings of those involved... "
Get over it. Get past the Emotion of it. Discuss History in a way that you discuss a little league baseball team. Who you don't have a person on it.
It's not Life or death.
It's History.
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PO1 Arthur Neel
Amn Dale Preisach - Well said. History is history, some of it is good and some of it is and we need to study it and learn from it. So, we don't make those same mistakes again. Or we will be destined to repeat it.
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SgtMaj Henry Sinclair
PO1 Arthur Neel We need to study a lot, and engage in self-education; it's easy to experience degradation.
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2LT (Join to see)
[quote]SgtMaj Henry Sinclair - I am sincerely grateful for your attention to this matter. I want to share my childhood story. We lived with my parents in the small town of Sedona, in the state of Arizona. Living next to us was an elderly man named Dawit Samuel; he was very kind but lonely. Over time, I became very close to him and learned that he had escaped slavery and, at the age of 18, joined the Civil War. He shared various stories, but what struck me the most was how someone could hate another person solely because of the color of their skin. At that time, I decided to write a novel about him. However, I only remembered this. To not waste any more time, I published my memoir on https://eduhelper/essay-samples/civil-war - free essay examples. It may seem inappropriate to write about such things on the internet. Still, I carefully considered this decision, believing that providing help for students with their assignments could influence the new generation. I'll leave the link below; perhaps someone will be interested in reading it. Please, do not hesitate to share your ideas on how I can improve my essay.[/quote]
You have addressed a truly important topic—what happened to the Black soldiers of the Confederacy after the Civil War. How did they integrate into society, and what was their role during the Reconstruction period?
This topic is worth attention as it allows us to explore the complex aspects of history and the role of African Americans in the Civil War, shedding light on issues of racial relations and socio-cultural aspects of that time.
You have addressed a truly important topic—what happened to the Black soldiers of the Confederacy after the Civil War. How did they integrate into society, and what was their role during the Reconstruction period?
This topic is worth attention as it allows us to explore the complex aspects of history and the role of African Americans in the Civil War, shedding light on issues of racial relations and socio-cultural aspects of that time.
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10
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So many served faithfully and compently for a country who disenfranchises them; and this includes the Native Americans.
Rich
Rich
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
Our American Indians
Got A Mug Job,
Straight Out Of Washington...
We Grabbed Their Land, Shot'em,
Then Stole Their Horses To Escape With.
It Was SO Bad, It Was Like Jogging
Through Central Park....
Got A Mug Job,
Straight Out Of Washington...
We Grabbed Their Land, Shot'em,
Then Stole Their Horses To Escape With.
It Was SO Bad, It Was Like Jogging
Through Central Park....
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
Believe Me When I Tell You,
"Duct Tape Will Not STOP Stupid,
But It WILL Muffle It For Awhile..
"Duct Tape Will Not STOP Stupid,
But It WILL Muffle It For Awhile..
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3
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What about the Tuskegee Airmen? Are high schools teaching anything about that in Florida?
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LCpl (Join to see)
Yes We have chapters in practically all states, including Florida. We are well Incorporated. If we cant go to the schools we let the schools come to us. I am on the board in our Chapter Heart of American Chapter. We not only go to HS's but grade schools as well. Even though we are a non profit org. we still manage to perpetuate our legacy because intention, and Couse is noble.
I am not an original, but I still am able to fly kids, and adults. If I had to guess, I would estimate about 300 flights. now we have our own TA Academy. JUST WATCH OUR SMOKE.
I am not an original, but I still am able to fly kids, and adults. If I had to guess, I would estimate about 300 flights. now we have our own TA Academy. JUST WATCH OUR SMOKE.
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