Cedarburg History Museum Lecture - ""They Fought Like Devils" - the Black Soldier and Wisconsin's Civil War Experience"

Description

Black soldiers played vital combat and support roles in the fight for freedom and the Union. Hundreds of Black men from Wisconsin enlisted in Black units, and thousands of other Black troops fought alongside white Wisconsin regiments in some of the most—and least— famous battles of the war. Initially, many in government, the army, and the general public, were skeptical, and wondered whether arming Black soldiers was a good idea. The Confederacy was violently opposed to the idea. But in a very short time, Black soldiers proved their bravery and skill on the battlefield. We will take a look at a few of these path breaking episodes and their effect on Wisconsin in the Civil War.

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Reed Perkins has been the historian for Mequon’s Jonathan Clark House Museum since its inception. Reed has a passion for history and genealogy and sharing his findings with others. He is particularly interested in the details of how our local 19th-century families and communities lived and worked together, and does his best to bring that history to life at the Clark House and on his blog, Clark House Historian https://jchmhistorian.com/