A Critical Analysis of The Negro's Civil War in Tennessee

In Bobby L. Lovett's discussion of the Negro's Civil War in Tennessee, he credits the Union's superior method of organization for utilizing black resources as the key factor that made the difference between victory and defeat for the United States Army. While the efficient use of black manpower was certainly a factor in the success of the Union Army, the Union leader's use of slaves and freed black men had less to do with the strategies they employed as it did with the grim social situation of black men and women at the time. In fact, the Union's strategies for enlisting black laborers were more about social control over the black population than about defending their freedom, and as such, left black men with few alternatives other than to do what the Union allowed them to do. Particularly in a state like Tennessee, it was this desperation more than any single military feat that should be credited as the major factor for Union victory.

First, the Union's system for full utilization of black labor is most revealing in this regard. The strategy was as follows: (1) slaves and their owners' names were to be recorded and registered with dates of commencement of work, (2) each military company was allowed a maximum of five Negroes for jobs as cooks and teamsters, (3) a total of 65 Negros could be carried on the muter of rolls of each unit, (4) these laborers could not bear arms nor wear official uniform, and (5) “loyal masters could claim their slaves and their wages upon proof of ownership.” This strategy's first and last facets are most significant as they indicate that the Union Army had no intention to liberate slaves, even those who gave their allegiance and served in the limited capacity available to them.

Furthermore, slave owners could receive up to $300 for permitting their slaves to enlist, essentially exchanging one form of slavery for another--buying and selling black men for military labor instead of field labor. However, given the limited options of black men, particularly in Tennessee, the Union army presented a better option than suffering a miserable existence in refugee camps across the state. Moreover, the Union Army was better aligned with black interests than was the Confederate Army for obvious reasons. Thus, it may not have been the Union's strategic use of black labor that proved valuable; rather, it was the lack of options for the massive numbers of quasi-free blacks that permitted their exploitation by the Union and ultimately shifted the power balance in the United States' favor.

Additionally, the tension between black and white units, particularly in highly tactical areas like Tennessee, cannot be understated. The black military experience presented slaves and free blacks with unprecedented opportunities to elevate their political, economic, and social status, but these aspirations rarely went uncontested. The use of "N---er Codes" by both the Union and Confederate Armies to control slaves and free blacks demonstrates how unwanted the change in social status for the black population was. As such, black men fighting in the Union Army understood better than anyone that since he had almost no control over his own destiny or that of his family, the outcome of the War held far greater personal consequences than mere survival.

In conclusion, while Lovett gives thorough documentation of the valiant efforts of black Tennessee troops during the Civil War, namely of the Battle of Nashville, the crux of Union victory lies less in its superior military strategies (i.e. simply allowing black men to enlist, fight, and support the war effort) as it does in the social realities of the time. Without viable options for true freedom, black men and women had to take advantage of the limited options available to them at the time, understanding that the Union went against slavery only so far as slavery went against its own interests.

Bibliography

Bobby L. Lovett, "The Negro's Civil War in Tennessee, 1861 –1865," Journal of Negro History 61 (1976).

James M. McPherson, The Negro's Civil War: How American Blacks Felt and Acted During the War for the Union (New York, NY: Random House, 2008).

Paul E. Coker, "Is This the Fruit of Freedom? Black Civil War Veterans in Tennessee" (Ph.D. diss., University of Tennessee, 2011).