Civil War Soldiers & Sailors Database Unveiled - African American military personnel database - Brief Article

All Hands, Feb, 2001 by Joseph Gunder

A new database was recently unveiled at the U.S. Navy Memorial, Washington, D.C., for African-American Sailors who served in the Civil War. The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System Database holds information about 18,000 African-American Civil War Sailors. It contains personal information, ships served aboard and dates of service and is accessible through the Internet at www.civilwar.nps.gov.

"From the Boston massacre to Desert Storm and Bosnia, black Americans have served and continue to serve in defense of this nation's principles' said VADM Edward Moore, commander, Naval Surface Force, Pacific Fleet. "These patriots included 186,000 black Americans who donned the Union blues to serve on battlefields and ships."

The purpose of the database is to provide a resource to tell the story of the struggles and contributions of Civil War Sailors of both sides during a turbulent time in the nation's history.

During the course of the Civil War, 18,000 African-American men and more than a dozen African-American women served in the U.S. Navy, making up some 15 percent of the total enlisted force. These Sailors served on almost every one of the nearly 700 Navy vessels. Eight earned the Medal of Honor for their heroism in battle.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System Database is the product of a partnership formed in 1993 between Howard University, the Department of the Navy and the National Park Service. Funding for the program was provided through grants from the DOD Legacy Resources Management Program.

One man in attendance at the memorial that day carried a photo of one of his two great-grandfathers who served as Sailors in the Civil War. What would that great-grandfather say if he were alive today?

"He'd be pretty impressed," said Richard America. "He'd be pleased for himself, probably for his shipmates and his country."