Black soldiers in the Civil War: in 1863, black soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts infantry proved that the U.S. Civil War was their fight too. (American History Play).

CHARACTERS

Narrators A-E

Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War

Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President

William Seward, Secretary of State

Frederick Douglass, Abolitionist

54TH Massachusetts Infantry

Robert Shaw, Commander

Norwood Hallowell, Colonel

Lewis Douglass, Sergeant

Preston Williams, Private

James Henry Gooding, Corporal

George Stephens, Sergeant

William H. Carney, Sergeant

Edward D. Washington, Private

Charles H. Arnum, Private

James H. Wilkins, Sergeant

A. P. Heichhold, Physician

Names in red are leading roles.

Paymaster *

* Starred character is fictitious.

SCENE 1

THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Narrator A: In July 1862, President Abraham Lincoln meets with Edwin Stanton, his Secretary of War, and William Seward, his Secretary of State. The Civil War, a battle between the Union and breakaway Confederate states, has been under way for more than a year. The Union Army is struggling.

Edwin Stanton: I have those enlistment figures, Mr. President. Our soldiers are not re-enlisting, and we're losing manpower each day.

Abraham Lincoln: Our young men believed that this would be a short, noble war, Mr. Stanton. I fear they have now seen the horrible truth and want no part of fighting.

Stanton: What do you propose?

Lincoln: A lightning bolt that will land in both the North and the South. What is our largest untapped source of manpower?

Stanton: The Negroes, I guess.

Lincoln: What if we were to declare that all slaves in the rebel states are free? And what if we opened the door for free blacks in Northern states to join the fight?

William Seward: Such a plan would change everything. Instead of a war to save the Union, we would now be fighting to free the slaves. That should shake the Confederates right down to their boots.

Lincoln: Perhaps Frederick Douglass will stop writing those fearsome letters to me. But in my eyes, this war is still about saving the Union.

Narrator A: Douglass is a famous bolitionist [antislavery activist] and a former slave.

Stanton: A lot of people wonder whether Negroes have the guts for battle, Mr. President. It won't be a popular decision, except among Douglass and other abolitionists.

Lincoln: You think I'm worried about popularity?

Narrator A: Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation into law on January 1, 1863. Massachusetts becomes the first state to form an official black regiment--the 54th Massachusetts Infantry.

SCENE 2

CAMP MEIGS, MASSACHUSETTS

Narrator B: Only white officers are allowed to lead black units. Colonel Robert Shaw is chosen to command the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. On May 18, 1863, the men of the 54th complete their training. Two of Frederick Douglass's sons, Lewis and Charles, are among the recruits.

Lewis Douglass: Hello, Pop! Looks like all those letters to President Lincoln finally paid off. We'll be fighting the rebels before long.

Frederick Douglass: You aren't just battling the South, son. You're fighting for the freedom and rights of all Negroes in this land.

Preston Williams: We're hoping to do our best, sir.

Frederick Douglass: Our future is in your hands. White Americans will have trouble denying citizenship to a race that sheds blood to defend it.

Robert Shaw: Mr. Douglass, it's a pleasure to meet you. What do you think of the 54th?

Frederick Douglass: You're leading an army of liberation [freedom], Colonel. And I'm proud to contribute two sons to it.

SCENE 3

MORRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA

Narrator C: On July 18, 1863, the 54th Massachusetts leads the attack on Fort Wagner on Morris Island.

Shaw: This is going to be a hot fight, Norwood. We'll be marching right into the Confederates' teeth.

Norwood Hallowell: General Strong reports that our cannons have pounded the fort pretty hard. We can take the fort.

James Henry Gooding: Excuse me, sirs. The men are wondering when we'll see some real action.

Shaw: Two hours soon enough. Corporal? Get the men lined up. We will take the fort or die there.

Gooding: Yes, sir!

Narrator C: At 7:45 p.m., the 600 men of the 54th begin a 1,300-yard march to Fort Wagner.

Shaw: Prove yourselves, men! Thousands are watching what we do here tonight.

Gooding: Why is Colonel Shaw leading us into battle? He's supposed to be in the rear, where it's safer.

William H. Carney: He isn't like most lily-livered [cowardly] officers.

Williams: We're only 200 yards away. Why aren't the rebs firing?

(The Confederate soldiers at Fort Wagner open fire.)

Gooding: They're mowing us down!

Lewis Douglass: The colonel's at the wall! Up and over, men! Give them the bayonet! Look out! Our flag's falling!

Carney: I got it, Sarge! Never touched the ground!

Shaw: Onward 54th!

(Shaw is shot and killed.)

Hallowell: Where are those blasted reinforcements? Fall back!

Narrator C: The 54th is forced to retreat after brutal hand-to-hand fighting at the fort's walls. The regiment loses 281 men. But their courage under fire erases any doubts about the fighting abilities of black units. For his heroic protection of the flag, Sergeant Carney receives the Medal of Honor. He is the first African-American to earn this top military award.

SCENE 4

Narrator D: In August 1863, the paymaster of the 54th assembles the men.

Gooding: Hey, Washington. How was artillery [large guns] practice?

Edward Washington: Speak up, Gooding. You always forget that I'm hard of hearing.

Paymaster: Payday, men! You're to receive $10 a month.

Gooding: Are you kidding? We were promised $13! White soldiers get $13!

Paymaster: I forgot. Minus a three-dollar clothing charge.

Washington: What?

Gooding: We're only to get $7 after the price we paid at Fort Wagner? That's an outrage! We've got families to support.

George Stephens: Don't we rake up the same length of ground in the graveyard as a white soldier? Don't the bullets hit and kill us both the same? We've done a soldier's duty; why can't we have a soldier's pay?

Paymaster: That's all I've got for you. Take it or leave it. Any man who wants his pay, step forward.

Washington: What? (Washington steps forward so that he can hear better. Stephens pulls him back.)

Stephens: We'll take no pay until the U.S. government gives us our due.

Narrator D: The men of the 54th Massachusetts refuse pay until Congress corrects the inequity [unfairness] in 1864. From that point on, black soldiers receive the same pay as white soldiers.

SCENE 5

OLUSTEE, FLORIDA

Narrator E: In January 1864, the 54th is transferred to Florida. On February 20, Union regiments, but not the 54th, fight Confederate forces in the battle of Olustee.

Charles Arnum: We're being held in reserve? How come those North Carolina guys get all the fun?

Williams: You'll get your fun before this war is over.

Hallowell: Form up! The Connecticut and North Carolina boys are up to their ears in rebels. We'll cover their retreat. Double time, march!

Stephens: We'll set up a line on the left. Slow up the rebs so the North Carolina troops can get out of there.

Lewis Douglass: Wilkins! Where are you going?

James H. Wilkins: I hate waiting. Let's take the fight to them!

Lewis Douglass: Get back here! We've got no support.

Gooding: Ahh! My leg! I'm hit!

Williams: Henry! We've got to get you our of here!

Hallowell: Fall back!

Gooding: Go! I'll follow if I can.

A. P. Heichhold: Load the blacks into the ambulance first and get them to safety.

Charles H. Arnum: Why, doc?

Heichhold: The Confederates usually treat white prisoners well. But I've seen them butcher too many of our Negroes. I guess it makes the rebs crazy, seeing a man in uniform who they think is fir only to be a slave.

Narrator E: Henry Gooding is captured, and later dies at Andersonville prison camp, where conditions are cruel. A newspaper correspondent who witnesses the action at Olustee writes that the 54th "stood in the gap and saved the [Union brigade]."

EPILOGUE

"By April 1865, when the war ended, some 185,000 African-Americans had fought for the Union. They made up about 10 percent of the Union Army and Navy.

The accomplishments of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry--especially its bravery at Fort Wagner--silenced many critics of black servicemen. Black soldiers' efforts and sacrifices in the Civil War helped set African-Americans on the long, halting march toward equality.

Your Turn:

WORD MATCH


1. abolitionist  A. cowardly
2. artillery     B. unfairness
3. lily-livered  C. freedom
4. inequality    D. antislavery activist
5. liberation    E. large guns

1. D

2. E

3. A

4. B

5. C

RELATED ARTICLE: TIME LINE: A FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

1850: There are more than 3 million slaves in the U.S., mostly in Southern states. Slaves make up approximately 14 percent of the nation's population.

1860: Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, elected the nation's 16th President. In December, South Carolina becomes the first Southern state to withdraw from the U.S.

1861: On April 12, first shots of the Civil War are fired at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Confederate soliders capture the fort the next day.

1863: President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, calling for freedom for slaves throughout the Confederacy. The proclamation is ignored in the South, and does not end slavery in Northern- border states.

1865: On April 9, General Robert E. Lee, the leader of the Confederate Army, surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the Union forces, at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. The Civil War is over.

1868: Three years after ratifying the 13th Amendment to the-U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery in-the U.S., the 14th Amendment is ratified, giving citizenship to all people born or naturalized as citizens in the U.S.