54+Mass+&+African+Americans+5

 =54 Massachusetts=


 * volunteer infantry
 * first military unit composed of African men to be rasied in Massachusetts
 * first members met in 1863
 * unit had Massachusetts people; 30 Illinois men, inlcuding 12 Galesburg men
 * July 16th 1863- James Island, SC, samuel wells & john Davis were wounded
 * John Davis was wounded and John W. Dickinson was captured
 * All three Galesburg men
 * Fort Wagner- Morris Island, SC on July 18th 1863 was the loss of many officers including Robert Gould Shaw
 * over 125 men were wounded and more than 100 missing
 * Henery Kirk captured Preston Williams of Galesburg
 * regiment mustered out in August 20, 1865

African Americans

 * Frederick Douglass speeches had African Americans enlist in the Union Army and fight for their freedom
 * About 180,000 African Americans
 * 163 units served in the Union Army
 * many more African Americans served in the Union Navy
 * Both free African-Americans and runaway slaves joined to fight in the civil war
 * Fort Wagner (battle) in the 54th Massachusetts was the main battle fought by African American
 * African Americans soldiers made up 10% of the Union Army
 * discrimination in pay
 * 1864 congress granted black soldiers equal pay

=works cited:= [|www.itd.nps.gov.com]