The idea for blacks to join the Union armies grew among many abolitionists in the early 1860's. The abolitionists thought that having black soldiers would help their cause of freedom. Unfortunately, the northern whites as well as many others feared that the blacks fighting in the war could threaten the traditional race relations. Therefore, blacks were not encouraged to enlist in the war until after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The Proclamation gave freedom to all slaves who resided in states in rebellion. Lincoln also announced that black men would be accepted into the United States Army and Navy. Up until the Proclamation only regiments of free and "contraband," blacks existed. After Lincoln's announcement northerners whites' ideas on the black soldiers began to change. They felt that if blacks were going to benefit from a Union victory then they too should also share in the fighting and dying. If the blacks wanted freedom they were going to have to do something to prove that that were worthy, and just as able citizens as the whites who were fighting. In early 1863, the army's demand for soldiers grew as the whites were more hesitant to fight in the war. The War Department began to enlist free blacks into the army, and Lincoln drafted as many African -Americans as he could find. By 1865 there were over 180,000 black soldiers serving in the U.S. army and navy. What had once been doubt in Lincoln's mind about African-American soldiers had completely disappeared. During Lincoln's second election he claimed,"That if the Union renounced emancipation and the recruiting of black soldiers, we would be compelled to abandon the war in three weeks." The blacks were proving their strength on the battle fields and had become a vital part in the U.S. Army. The blacks new that they were fighting for their freedom, and hoped that not only would they get that, but equal status in American society. It became clear though, that that was not going to be an easy battle. The African-American soldiers were kept in segregated regiments, they were used in manual labor in the camps and until 1864, they were paid less than white soldiers. The blacks did not give up. They were determined not only to prove themselves worthy soldiers, but to free themselves into U. S. citizenship, and to be treated equally with whites. One of the first and most important African-American regiments was the Massachusetts 54th regiment. This regiment was lead by Robert Gould Shaw, who came from a prominent abolitionist family. Gould lead what is know as one of the most heroic war efforts, when he and the 54th attacked Fort Wagner, in South Carolina. The battle began on July 18, 1863. Shaw and the 54th, led two union brigades through South Carolina across the beaches towards the fort. George Williams, a black historian noted the 54th determination when he wrote, "All day they marched over the island under the exhausting heat of a July sun in Carolina....All night the march was continued through darkness and rain, amid thunder and lightning, over swollen streams, broken dikes, and feeble, shuddering, narrow causeways."The blacks were clearly determined to prove themselves and they went through whatever they had to . As they approached Fort Wagner, the Confederates led simultaneous fires upon them. Men fell left and right, but the 54th was able to charge into the fort walls and fight hand on hand. Eventually ,the 54th fell to the Confederacy, but only after an hour of hard fighting, they were pushed back. Sergeant William H. Carney still managed to save the 54th's battle flag and knelt with it as the battle raged on. When the battle had ended, Carney carried the flag to safety, wining himself a Congressional Medal of Honor. The 54th regiment had not been able to defeat the Confederates at Fort Wagner, but they established themselves in War history. The battle at Fort Wagner was not so significant to the Civil War as it was to the importance of black soldiers. This battle convinced the nation about the bravery and valor of the African-American soldiers. They had proved themselves as Frederick Douglas's son wrote,"This regiment has established itself as a fighting regiment...not a man flinched,though it was a trying time...Remember if I die, I die in a good cause. I wish we had a hundred thousand colored troops-we would put an end to the war."The 54th regiment helped to dispel doubt within the Union about blacks' fighting ability and most of all it gave undying credit to those blacks who fought. The blacks could now be seen as something other than slaves. They had fought just as the whites did, and done just as good of a job. The blacks proved their loyalty and strength and now there was no significant reason for keeping blacks under slavery and under non-equal protection. They had fought for what they wanted and won. The blacks showed their loyalty to the Union, and in return were later granted their freedom.
Undying Glory, The Story of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment
America's History
http://www.awod.com/gallery/probono/cwchas/54ma.html
http://www.con2.com/~prblack.html