| While the Black soldier was proving himself to be of character, the Black sailor went
forth to do service for his country. Throughout its history, the Navy has never barred
free Blacks from enlisting, and in September 1861 it adopted the policy of recruiting
former slaves. This was two years before the Army even allowed Blacks to enlist. Suffering
during the entire course of the war from a shortage of men, the Navy encouraged the Blacks
to join the service. "Fill up the crews with contrabands obtained from Major-General
Dix, as there is not an available sailor in the North." This advice was sent by
Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles on August 5, 1862, to Commodore Charles Wilkes,
Commander of the James River Flotilla. The Mississippi Squadron under Admiral David D.
Porter was also suffering a shortage. Admiral Porter wrote to Rear Admiral A.H. Foote on
January 3, 1862, "Don't be astonished at the list of .... I send you. I could get no
men. They do first-rate." Five months later Rear Admiral S.F. DuPont informed
Secretary Welles that the contrabands on board the vessels in the South Atlantic
Blockading Squadron were "very useful, particularly as there is difficulty in
obtaining men in the North ports." Eager to recruit Black sailors and to have them
reenlist, the Navy tended to treat them fairly well. Segregation and discrimination were
at a minimum. Blacks were messed and quartered with other crew members. During prisoner
exchanges the Black sailor was spared the uncertainty experienced by his Black brother in
the Army. Secretary Welles wrote in his diary on October 5, 1864, "No question of
color has ever come up in regard to naval exchange."
The Blacks responded in large numbers to the Navy's beckoning, eventually comprising
one, quarter of the men sailing in the Union fleet. Although precise figures on black
naval personnel is lacking, Secretary of the Navy John D. Long, in a letter written on
April 2. 1902, quotes Superintendent of the Naval Records Office as reporting that of the
118,044 enlistments in the Navy during the Civil War, one fourth, or approximately 29,511
were Blacks. Aboard the U.S.S. CAIRO there were 4 Blacks sailors holding the rank of
Seaman. The majority of the regular Navy viewed the CAIRO and her sister boats as
"experimental," thus the bulk of the crew were volunteers. Of the 175 men aboard
the CAIRO only 28 had sailing or naval experience. The 4 black sailors brought such
experience with them having served as sailors or boatsmen in the private sector.
The Blacks served aboard Union ships in various positions and ranks including officers.
They participated in some of the great naval battles of the Civil War. One such battle
took place thousands of miles from home off the coast of France. On Sunday morning June
19, 1864, the Confederate raider ALABAMA steamed out of Cherbourg harbor to meet its doom
in an engagement with the USS KEARSARGE. On the KEARSARGE with fifteen Black enlisted men
of various ratings.
In this historic duel in which the ALABAMA went down in forty fathoms of water, Seaman
Joachim Pease loader of No. 1 gun received the Navy Medal of Honor. Acting Master David H.
Sumner wrote of Seaman Pease, "possessing qualities higher than courage or fortitude
which fully sustained his reputation as one of the best men in the ship."
The Navy had its roster of Black sailors who did their duties effectively during battle
with little recognition. At least forty-nine Union vessels had Black Crewmen who were
killed, captured or wounded in action. Black naval casualties numbered an estimated 800;
approximately one quarter of navy total of 3,220. To these battle casualties must be
listed estimated an 2,000 Black seamen who died of disease. Eight Black sailors received
the Navy Medal of Honor for valor.
Much has been written about the Black soldiers display of courage during the Civil War.
Yet the Black sailor had been quietly fighting for his country since the Revolutionary
War. Because of the long history of Blacks in the Navy, little is written about the Black
sailor during the Civil War. It was not due to their lack of participation, but because
the U.S. Navy has always been desegregated.
If the Black sailors' quality of work and respect from his fellow sailors could be
judged by Civil War photographs, such as the one on display at the Cairo Museum, it would
be safe to say the burden of battle was shared equally. |
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