"He Has Earned the Right of Citizenship" : The Black Soldiers of North Carolina in the Civil War; A Comment on Historiography, Treatment, and Pensions.

Abstract

The Frederick C. Douglass Papers, held at the Joyner Library of East Carolina University are an important source of information concerning the black soldiers of North Carolina. Many historians have written about the various regiments of the United States Colored Troops (USCT). But what is there to know about the experiences of black soldiers who enlisted, served, and sacrificed in North Carolina? What is there to know about the veterans who sought financial recompense for their sacrifices from the United States Military Pension System? What can we learn about the struggles of the black soldier's family or survivors who sought a financial relief for that soldier's death or post-war infirmities? This thesis acknowledges the honor, courage, and sacrifice of the black soldiers of the United States Colored Troops, specifically, the regiments of North Carolina. The pension agent Frederick C. Douglass assisted the veterans and their families in New Bern, NC, and the surrounding areas of eastern North Carolina with filing the necessary documents with the Pension Bureau. Sadly, many today are familiar with the scandals of the contemporary United States Veteran's Administration but know little of the legislation that prompted the earliest days of that bureaucratic giant. The history of the Pension System and the inauguration of the USCT are nearly simultaneous. The same general wartime necessity prompted the genesis of these historical phenomenon. Using various primary and secondary sources, this thesis will reveal how black soldiers of North Carolina regiments struggled to serve the United States in the Civil War. It will further reveal how those soldiers and their families struggled for recognition in a pension system that was unable to comprehend the cultural differences and needs of ex-slaves.