A company of 4th USCT Infantry

African Americans at Siege of Petersburg

In Petersburg

At the beginning of the Civil War, Virginia had a black population of about 549,000. This meant that of the Confederacy's total black population 1 in every 6 blacks lived in Virginia. Of those African Americans in Virginia 89% were slaves. In Petersburg about half the population was black of which nearly 35% were free. Petersburg was considered to have the largest number of free blacks of any Southern city at that time. Many of the freedmen prospered here as barbers, blacksmiths, boatmen, draymen, livery stable keepers and caterers. The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... State nickname: Old Dominion Other U.S. States Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Governor Mark R. Warner Official languages English Area 110,862 km² (35th)  - Land 102,642 km²  - Water 8,220 km² (7. ... For other meanings of confederate and confederacy, see confederacy (disambiguation) National Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Official language English de facto nationwide Various European and Native American languages regionally Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Largest... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... The word slaves has several meanings and usages: People who are owned by others, and live to serve them without pay. ... Petersburg is an independent city located in Virginia. ... A barber (from the Latin barba, beard) is someone whose occupation is to cut hair, give shaves and cut beards. ... Blacksmith Blacksmith at work Blacksmith at work Blacksmiths fire A blacksmith is an artisan specializing in the hand-wrought manufacture of metal objects, such as wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, weapons, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils and tools. ...

Serving the Confederacy

When Petersburg became a major supply center for the newly formed Confederacy and its nearby capital in Richmond, both freedmen and slaves were employed in various war functions. One of which was working for the numerous railroad companies that operated in and out of the city. In 1862 Captain Charles Dimmock used freedmen and slave labor to construct a ten-mile long defensive line of trenches and batteries around the city. Richmond is the capital of the state of Virginia (officially the Commonwealth of Virginia) of the United States of America. ... 1862 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of fortifications dug into the ground, facing each other. ...

Once the siege began in June 1864, African Americans continued working for the Confederacy. In September 1864, General Robert E. Lee asked for an additional 2,000 blacks to be added to his labor force. In March 1865, with the serious loss of white manpower in the army, the Southern army called for 40,000 slaves to become an armed force in the Confederacy. A notice in the April 1, 1865, Petersburg Daily Express, called for black recruits with the statement, "To the slaves is offered freedom and undisturbed residences at their old homes in the Confederacy after the war. Not freedom of sufferance, but honorable and selfwon by the gallantry and devotion which grateful countrymen will never cease to remember and reward." It is not known how many responded to this challenge. The war ended before any major contribution could be made. The Siege of Petersburg (June 15, 1864 – April 2, 1865) was a ten-month long siege of Petersburg, Virginia, during the American Civil War. ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Robert Edward Lee, as a U.S. Army Colonel before the war Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Serving the Union: U.S. Colored Troops in the Siege

During the war a total of nearly 187,000 African Americans served in the Union Army. Of those the greatest concentration of U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) was at Petersburg. In the initial assault upon the city on June 15, 1864 a division of USCTs in the XVIII Corps helped capture and secure a section of the Dimmock Line. The other division at Petersburg was with the IX Corps and it fought in the Battle of the Crater, July 30, 1864. The Union Army refers to the United States Army during the American Civil War. ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Battle of the Crater Conflict American Civil War Date July 30, 1864 Place Petersburg, Virginia Result Confederate victory The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the American Civil War, part of the Siege of Petersburg. ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

In December 1864, all the United States Colored Troops around Petersburg were incorporated into three divisions and became the XV Corps of the Army of the James. It was the largest black force assembled during the war and varied between 9,000 to 16,000 men. Overall in the Petersburg Campaign USCTs would participate in 6 major engagements and earn 15 of the 16 total Medals of Honor awarded African American soldiers in the Civil War. The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of unites from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the last opperations of the Civil War in Virginia. ... For the computer game, see Medal of Honor (computer game). ...

At City Point

African Americans served in varying capacities at the Union supply base at City Point. They served as pickets, railroad workers, and laborers "discharging the ships, wheeling the dirt, sawing the timber and driving the piles." Many also worked at the Depot Field Hospital as cooks. Waterfront at City Point, Virginia (now Hopewell) in 1865 City Point was a town in Prince George County, Virginia in the state of Virginia. ...

External link

• National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov/pete/mahan/eduhistafam.html)