So far, I have about 345 USCT soldiers claiming different counties in the Shenandoah Valley as their place of birth… and I’m not even half way through the index which I’ve been looking into.Ultimately, all total, there may be enough to equate to one infantry regiment, or at least a hefty sized battalion. In the big scheme of things, to some, that may not seem like much, especially compared to the number of Confederate regiments that hailed from the Shenandoah. Yet, if that is your course of thinking, consider also that these men were the ones who noted where they were born; just how many did not make that annotation on their enlistment papers? Would the numbers climb to two regiments… three?
What I’m also finding is that the “free on or before April 19, 1861” is a fairly common entry. This could mean a number of things, from the fact that the men were freed prior to the Virginia Convention’s vote to them freeing themselves. It’s impossible to tell, but worth noting since it appears quite often.
Over at my Too Long Forgotten blog, I’ve added an entry today for two men named Appleberry/Applebury. Both were born in Page County, and may well have been brothers. Both resided in south-central Pennsylvania by 1863; one was drafted, and one volunteered. Both also had noteworthy service records, participating in a number of battles over the last two years of the war. Considering these two men, and the estimated 1,000 or so USCTs that may have been born in the Shenandoah Valley, how does this change your perspective, if at all, on the roll of the Valley’s people in the Civil War? Is your vision expanded from the very white, very Stonewall Jackson, anti-Sheridan, pro-Confederate perspective? If not then, what about when factored together with Southern Unionists from the Shenandoah Valley?
More to follow on the USCTs of the Shenandoah Valley. Stay-tuned in the coming month also for a piece about the Conrads of Winchester, and some lead-up to the First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas.
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Adam Arenson
July 11, 2011
Among the USCT with Canadian birthplaces on their existent documents who I am studying, a number turn out to be born in Virginia, including Winchester, without any time in Canada.
Robert Moore
July 11, 2011
Thanks for commenting, Adam. What two resources are you stacking against each other to find that they weren’t born in Canada?
JE
July 11, 2011
Rob,
I’ve been researching the USCT soldiers from eastern Ohio (just across the river from Wheeling) and have found quite a number who were born in Loudon County. This particular area of Ohio was heavily Quaker and I think that during the several ‘great migrations’ of Quakers, particularly from Carteret county, NC and Loudon county, VA, many of the Loudon families brought with them their slaves or freed African American families. The particular community I’m studying was founded by slaves who had been freed by Abigail Stanton, grandmother of Edwin M.
Robert Moore
July 11, 2011
That’s interesting. While I was aware of Quakers out in the central and western part of NC, I wasn’t aware of a large Quaker population in Carteret County. Is there a connection between Carteret and Loudoun… and then Ohio, or is it strictly Loudoun to Ohio? I’ve read about the Quakers training the slaves in a trade to support themselves after freedom. I’ve read where Brethren and Dunkard families in western Maryland did the same.
jgo
July 11, 2011
I give up. In that time, about how many were in a platoon, company, regiment, battalion (range)? Come to think of it, I seem to recall that scouts, infantry, cavalry, and artillery units differed. I suspect that the numbers shifted from beginning to end of the war, as well.
Robert Moore
July 11, 2011
In a perfect set-up, an infantry company would be composed of about 100; a battalion of between 4-8 companies; a regiment of between 10 and 12 companies. Of course, the numbers fluctuated, but my focus is on the overall numbers of African-Americans who served, total, and what that number might measure up to, in the way of a unit gone to war… although, they were dispersed among several different units based on a number of factors.
Richard
July 11, 2011
Did the “free on or before April 19, 1861” have something to do with them being eligible for pay? Perhaps it was for back pay when the US decided to start paying colored troops equal amounts to white. .
Here’s one link I found on a quick search. http://digitalcommons.providence.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=riusca_circulars&sei-redir=1#search=%22free%20or%20before%20April%2019%2C%201861%22
You may want to check into this, but I don’t think that phrase being so common was a coincidence. I’ll try to find more about it, though probably not tonight.
Robert Moore
July 12, 2011
I was wondering about that as a possibility.
Richard
July 11, 2011
See Joseph Glatthaar’s fine “Forged in Battle” pages 174-5 for a bit more on this. I quote two sentences from him: “Under pressure from several fronts, in mid-June 1864 Congress authorized equal pay for all soldiers from January 1, 1864, and back pay to the level of white soldiers holding the same rank, providing the black soldiers had been free on April 19, 1861. Thus, only prewar fee blacks received equal pay for 1862 and 1863.”
Robert Moore
July 12, 2011
Thanks! Makes sense.