A Regiment of Slaves

January 1, 2003
Following his history of the Union Army of the James (Army of Amateurs), prolific Civil War historian Longacre now focuses on one regiment of that army in this admirable study. Recruited in and around Baltimore, Maryland, the 4th infantry was unusual among the U. S."Colored" troops, as it was drummed up partly from free men and partly from slaves. The regiment was capably led by white officers, headed by Colonel Samuel Duncan, and its African-American NCOs, led by the formidably educated Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood. Although the 4th spent a good part of the war on garrison duty, it saw enough combat in Virginia, particularly around Petersburg, to consider itself honorable combat veterans. Even so, despite the unanimous support of all the officers of the regiment, Christian Fleetwood could not obtain a commission. The 4th ended its wartime career at the capture of Fort Fisher and the subsequent fall of Wilmington, North Carolina; Fleetwood later became commander of the first African-American National Guard unit, in Washington, D.C. This latest entry from Longacre should please his fans; it certainly raises the profile of the neglected Army of the James.