Kurz & Allison Part VII: Black Regiments

 Many white Union veterans had a deep respect for their black comrades in arms (check out Barbara Gannon’s The Won Cause, which shows how discrimination against blacks among veterans’ organizations was actually the exception rather than the rule). Louis Kurz was evidently among them, as he depicted black soldiers in a favorable light. I’ve already covered his use of helpful black civilians in the Monitor-Merrimac lithograph. This section contains three examples covering events from mid-1863 to early 1864.

Storming Fort Wagner

The summer of 1863 saw many attempts to capture the birthplace of secession: Charleston, South Carolina. In July General Quincy A. Gilmore sought to force Fort Sumter’s capture or surrender by seizing Morris Island and its Battery Wagner as a launching pad. The Federals landed on the island, but were not able to take the main objective. On July 18 the 54th Massachusetts, a regiment with Abolitionist white officers and mostly free northern blacks in the enlisted ranks, led a costly assault on Battery Wagner. The heavily outnumbered Confederates managed to repel the Union assault and only protracted siege warfare led to their abandonment of their post. Though a defeat, the battle proved to many that black soldiers could fight just as well as whites.

The Florida Expedition Part IV: The Death of the Florida Expedition

The Retreat

Colonel Barton claimed that his men had “not a single round of ammunition remaining.”[1] The artillery was in desperate straits as well. Langdon was down to 7 unwounded artillerists to draw his remaining guns off. Langdon ran for Seymour. All about him the firing was so intense that men were “being struck every instant.” Reaching his commander, he asked for men to help draw back the guns, as the caissons were far in the rear. There were no men to spare.[2]

Seymour tried to inspire his men to further defense. To instill caution in the enemy and slow them down, he suggested that the men give out loud cheers to give the impression that they were not so vulnerable. Captain Dana was about to order the cheers when a limping soldier passed by. Overhearing what the commander wanted, he issued a “hurrah for gen. Seymour and with the last word a stream of blood spurted from his mouth and he fell on his face dead.”[3]

The 54^th Massachusetts had refused the initial order to retreat as it came from the unpopular James Montgomery. Colonel Hallowell intervened and gave the order himself. This time they complied. They enacted Seymour’s cheering plan. The black troops gave nine shouts of victory, then in an act of audacious defiance about-faced and marched away from the Confederates at a regular pace. Every couple hundred yards they turned and delivered a volley. One staff officer of Seymour’s liked to believe that the cheering strategy gave the enemy doubts and produced the lack of a strong pursuit, but in reality darkness and exhaustion affected the enemy infantry.[4] Captain Robert Newell had a more chaotic take on the retreat. “There were a number of stragglers on my right and left, who had rushed forward & been fighting on their own account, several of these were hit, and I shall never forget the cry of agony of one poor fellow who was hurrying to catch up to the rest & fell forward on his hands & knees disabled, for the men expected no mercy if taken remembering Fort Wagner, & made desperate exertions to get away.”[5]

The Florida Expedition Part III: The Battle of Olustee

 

Hawley vs. Colquitt

Early in the afternoon, 4 miles east of Olustee, the 40^th Massachusetts Mounted Infantry met Confederate horsemen from the 2^nd Florida and 4^th Georgia Cavalry. The Confederate riders fell back, the Federals in pursuit.[1] Corporal William Penniman of the 4^th Georgia took credit for drawing the first shots of the battle.  He was with Colonel Caraway Smith on top of a railroad embankment. Smith was looking one way with his field glasses, Penniman another. Penniman saw Seymour’s force and directed Smith’s attention to it. Smith, noticing the presence of black regiments, said, “It’s the Yankees sure enough and they seem to be niggers.” Federal skirmishers came within 300 yards and discharged “quite a volley.” The two Confederates mounted their horses and escaped.[2]

According to the history of the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry (a battalion, as readers might recall, that was assigned to the Mounted Infantry to serve as an experienced core), they reported back to the rest of the army that there were at least three Confederate regiments. Captain Elder of the Horse Artillery came up and said but could only see “just one man.” The Confederates, per Finegan’s plan, had withdrawn, the Federals unaware of how large the opposing force was.[3] Elder’s Horse Artillery advanced and with the 7^th Connecticut established a firing line of skirmishers. Confederate cavalry would show themselves and then draw back, “as though inviting us to charge after them.”[4]