Browse all Entries in the Civil War African Americans topic.
Frederick Douglass
February 1818–February 20, 1895 After escaping from bondage on September 3, 1838, Frederick Douglass became a highly-acclaimed orator and writer supporting the abolition of slavery before the Civil War and the enactment of African American rights during Reconstruction. Acclaimed abolitionist and women's rights supporter Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland, near…
General Orders, No. 11 (Department of the South)
May 9, 1862 On May 9, 1862, Major General David Hunter, commanding the Department of the South, issued General Orders, No. 11, declaring the slaves in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida to be forever free. General Orders No. 11 Headquarters Department of the South Hilton Head, S.C., May 9, 1862 The three States of Georgia,…
General Orders, No. 11, (Department of the South)
May 9, 1862 On May 9, 1862, Major General David Hunter, commanding the Department of the South, issued General Orders, No. 11, freeing all slaves in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. President Abraham Lincoln rescinded this order on May 19, 1862. General Orders, No. 11 Headquarters, Department of the South, Hilton Head, S.C., May 9,…
George Brinton McClellan
During the American Civil War, George Brinton McClellan twice served as the commanding general of the Army of the … Read more
James Monroe Trotter
February 7, 1842–February 26, 1892 Born on February 7, 1842 (some sources state that he was born on November 8, 1842 or on February 8, 1842) in Grand Gulf, Mississippi, James Monroe Trotter was born a slave. His mother was Letitia, a slave, and his father was Richard S. Trotter, a white man and his…
John R. Bowles
June 13, 1826–September 3, 1864 Born on June 13, 1826, in Lynchburg, Virginia, John R. Bowles eventually moved to Ohio, settling in the vicinity of Chillicothe in Ross County. Here, Bowles married Sarah Jane Bryant in 1848. Born on June 13, 1826, in Lynchburg, Virginia, John R. Bowles eventually moved to Ohio, settling in the…
Militia Act of 1862
1862 During the American Civil War, the Militia Act of 1862 boosted the size of the Union's armed forces by authorizing the enlistment of African Americans and by empowering the president to order governors to draft citizens into state militias to meet federal manpower quotas. After Southern forces fired on Fort Sumter on April 12,…
Presidential Proclamation 90
May 19, 1862 On May 19, 1862, Abraham Lincoln issued a presidential proclamation revoking David Hunter's general order freeing the slaves in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Whereas there appears in the public prints what purports to be a proclamation of Major-General Hunter, in…
Presidential Proclamation 93 (Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation)
September 22, 1862 Issued by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, Presidential Proclamation 93, also known as the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation stated that people held in slavery in areas designated in rebellion against the United States as of January 1, 1863 would be freed from bondage. By the President of the United States of…
Presidential Proclamation 95 (Emancipation Proclamation)
January 1, 1863 Issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation stated that people held in slavery in areas designated in rebellion against the United States to be freed from bondage. By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Whereas on the 22d day of September, A.D. 1862,…