54th Massachusetts Regiment

My daughter Harriet has gone missing. I happen to be very confused but she left a letter saying she was going to help her brothers. I think this means she is going to fight but my husband and I have a lack of information. I am so very worried and I only hope that she can find either James of Adam but maybe she is trying to live up the Harriet Tubman, the amazing lady she was name after. Although I am unbearably sad about my daughter I have heard good news. African Americans have finally joined the Union army and although some whites were racist at first the performance of the black soldiers has apparently been amazing. This has lead an all black regiment called the 54th Massachusetts Regiment supported by the abolitionist Governor of Massachusetts and this has allowed for the 180,000 African Americans that served in the war to finally fight. The Confederacy had once considered doing this but of course southerners didn't like this idea. I am fine if slaves don't fight for the confederacy because it leaves them with less troops and hopefully it leaves slaves with more of a will to fight to become free. My son, Adam, told me that the first test of the African American soldiers was in a battle in June 1863 in Port Hudson, Mississippi. It was declared by a union solider that, "my prejudices with regard to negro troops have been dispelled by the battle... The brigade of Negroes behave magnificently." Robert Gould Shaw lead the 54th regiment to Fort Wagner in Charleston Harbor into battle and although this was unsuccessful and many died there was still much respect for the troops. I have heard that one of the soldiers has been presented with the great honor of winning the Congressional Medal of Honor becoming the first African American that was awarded. My son has said that most of the time the African American troops are forced to do other little things for the other troops such as cooking or cleaning and they also have the longest guard shifts in the most dangerous areas. The black soldiers shouldn't be treated this way because they are fighting for us so they are one of us. They are standing up for what they believe and if they are captured they will be killed. James told me of a time where African American soldiers tried to surrender but the Confederacy showed no mercy and killed a little over 100. The African American soldiers still fight with all of their might despite the disadvantages. Even slaves in the south are helping northern troops. Slave owners are being selfish and leaving their slaves to take care of the farm while the owners leave for safety but some slaves have been producing crops and giving them to northern troops. The African Americans have proven to be more help than the army thought and it makes me so happy to hear how they have been doing. Many African American slaves have been acting as spies for the benefit of the Union army and some even organize their own military units. There is even an uprising beginning, some slaves are refusing to work or demanding more money and they are finally becoming free. I hope Harriet comes home soon but I am happy to hear of the good news coming from James and Adam about the war.

"The Hope and Glory of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment - New England Historical Society." New England Historical Society. N.p., 26 Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.