THE LEGACY OF LOUISIANA'S BLACK SOLDIERS

The 74th United States Colored Troops (USCT), an all-Black unit that served during the Civil War, left a legacy and cultural impact that extends beyond its ties to New Orleans and Mississippi’s Ship Island. The unit’s history includes significant distinctions, like being one of the first Civil War units with non-white officers in their ranks and one of the first Black regiments to engage Confederates in combat. The regiment’s unique role and early ties to Louisiana make the 74th USCT a fascinating part of United States military history and the Black freedom struggle.

On May 2, 1861, less than a month after the first shots of the Civil War, Louisiana Governor Thomas D.Moore accepted a regiment of free Black men into Louisiana’s militia. Given the nickname Native Guard, white citizens of New Orleans, delighted with the formation of a Black military unit, hailed the “native” soldiers as defenders of their home city and Confederate ideals. Put on display in grand fashion and paraded up and down the banks of the Mississippi River, the truth is the effort to enlist Black Louisianans was a facade. Confederate authorities never considered arming and training Black men for combat. In April 1862, with U.S. military forces approaching New Orleans, the Native Guard was disbanded while Confederates evacuated the city.

General Benjamin Butler, commanding officer of U.S. forces occupying New Orleans, initially resisted calls to arm former enslaved individuals to supplement his forces. Fearing threats of a counterattack and facing unruly citizens loyal to the Confederacy, Butler changed course after learning of the Native Guard’s existence. After assurances that the men of the Native Guard had no loyalty to the Confederacy, Butler issued General Order Number 63, ordering the enlistment of free men of color in New Orleans. From this order arose three regiments of the Louisiana Native Guard.

The 2nd Louisiana Native Guard entered federal service on October 12, 1862. Initially, all but one of the company officers were considered men of color. One of these men, Major Frances Dumas, became one of the highest-ranking Black officers to serve during the Civil War. Colonel Nathan Daniels, a white officer, commanded the unit. Recruits varied in age from 17 to 56 and in experience, with all but one hailing from New Orleans.

Early in its service, the 2nd Regiment guarded railroads and key points in the greater New Orleans and La Fourche areas. In January 1863, elements of the regiment were deployed to defend Ship Island while others were stationed at Fort Pike, La. The U.S. Army planned for the departing commander of Ship Island, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Rust, to transfer part of his unit, the all-white 13th Maine Infantry, to Colonel Daniels. As Rust suspected, his soldiers refused to serve on Ship Island with the incoming Native Guard. This caused Daniels to place the enlisted men of the 13th Maine under arrest for disobedience. With tensions rising, the remainder of the 13th Maine transferred from Ship Island to Fort Jackson, La. This would not be the last time Daniels and his unit would face obstruction from their fellow soldiers in reaction to the unit’s racial makeup.

The Native Guard’s time on Ship Island consisted of drilling, constructing earthen artillery batteries around the island’s unfinished fort and guarding prisoners. On the morning of April 9, 1863, elements of the 2nd Regiment boarded naval vessels to participate in a raid on East Pascagoula, Miss. The Native Guard landed and engaged in combat with Confederate forces. The Black warriors briefly took possession of the town, captured Confederate flags and unfurled the United States flag from a hotel. A Confederate counterattack was quickly repelled by the Native Guard later that day. Hearing word of Confederate reinforcements approaching, Colonel Daniels ordered his men to withdraw. During their exit, a shell from the U.S. gunboat J.P. Jackson landed near a group of Native Guard soldiers, killing four and injuring five. Despite this, the Black soldiers remained calm and completed their withdraw.

Remarking on the East Pascagoula Raid in his diary, Colonel Daniels marveled over the bravery and coolness of his men. His writings speak of his personal ideals and pride in his unit, but also highlight and contradict the common belief that Black men did not naturally possess the skill nor discipline needed to be soldiers. The soldiers of the 2nd Louisiana Native Guard were one of the first Black units to meet Confederates in combat, and the first to do so on the Gulf Coast.

Racial tensions between the Native Guard and white soldiers and sailors on Ship Island were everpresent. By the summer of 1863, most of the non-white officers had been removed or asked to resign. Military reorganization and consolidation led to the 2nd Louisiana Native Guard being re-designated the 2nd Regiment, Corps de Afrique, in June 1863. The following April 1864, the unit became the 74th United States Colored Troops.

In August 1864, parts of the 74th USCT departed Ship Island to join the siege of Fort Morgan on Mobile Bay. The Confederate-held fort surrendered to U.S. forces on August 23. With victory in hand, the Black troops returned to Ship Island in September. With massive reductions in the U.S. Army at the end of the Civil War, the 74th USCT left federal service in October 1865.

Although U.S. General Benjamin Butler originally intended to enlist free men of color only, it is estimated that as much as half of the soldiers originally mustered into the U.S. military’s iteration of the Native Guard were freedom seekers who were formerly enslaved. The actions of these men, and those in similar units, during the Civil War showed that, contrary to popular belief held by military officials and the public at the time, Black soldiers could and would fight. Their legacy is reflected in the successful contributions to U.S. war efforts from Black military units to come, the eventual desegregation of the U.S. military and the strength and diversity of America’s modern soldiers.

Bibliography: Bearss, Edwin C. Historical Resource Study: Ship Island, Harrison County, Mississippi, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida/Mississippi. National Park Service, Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1984. Hollandsworth, Jr., James G. The Louisiana Native Guards. The Black Military Experience During the Civil War. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1998. NPS. “Second Louisiana Native Guard” (U.S. National Park Service), nps.gov/articles/2la.guard.htm. Weaver, C.P. Thank God My Regiment an African One, The Civil War Diary of Colonel Nathan Daniels. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1998.