Photo Courtesy of the National ArchivesThe other day I read a rather unflattering remark concerning the 63rd, also known as the Home Guard. Stating that monetary incentives for enlisting men encouraged recruiters to enlist seriously debilitated persons, Joseph T. Glathaar wrote,
“The worst instance…was in the 63rd U.S. Colored Infantry. An assistant inspector general reported in that unit, ‘More than half of the men are old and cripples both physically and mentally disqualified for being soldiers’.” *
Needless to say, this disparaging characterization struck me in the heart both because my ancestor was in the 63rd and because the remark goes against everything that I have been gleaning about him and the 63rd from the records of both.
First of all, I think that Commander John Eaton is right in his praise. (See next post.) In my opinion, it is strange not only that this unit has received little mention but that its leader has not been celebrated. A question for all of us is just what was the 63rd up to. Everything that I have read suggests that they guarded the abandoned plantations and their workers and probably Fort Pickering (Memphis) as well from some very real threats--guerilla raiders and the like. It is my understanding that black men protecting the Fort, for instance, were armed even before their formal enlistment.
Working most closely with this unit were Eaton, Samuel Thomas, and Thomas A. Walker. Studying the 63rd might begin with whatever commentary by these men exists concerning them. Probably the most reliable text besides Eaton's own reminiscences is The Report of the General Superintendent of Freedmen. Lorenzo Thomas, who raised troops in the Mississippi Valley, declares that the guard regiments went hand in hand with Order No. 94, which provided protection for men, women, and children. According to Thomas, the regiments were approved by Grant and ordered by the secretary of war himself.
From studying the record of my ancestor, I have come to believe that these regiments, perhaps Company K in particular, were involved in much more than guarding plantations and Home Colonies. In short, I believe that as Eaton himself was involved in developing black farming opportunities both on President's Island and on plantations in the Valley that the men of these units were some of the beneficiaries of the experiments. This is a case I'm working on diligently to prove.
In addition to this, I have gleaned from my ancestor's record that the men of the 63rd knew how to take care of business. Many of its members applied for and received the soldier's bounty and, later, a pension. My ancestor had to apply several times before his pension was approved, and application required much more than patience. I cannot help but to admire the fact that some members kept in touch with each other, and when it came time to apply for what was due them, they spoke up for one another. Even before they were aged, however, they supported each other's effort to receive back pay. Above is an affidavit in which my ancestor serves as a witness for one of his fellows.**
I view the tenacity of these men as evidence that they were anything but mentally challenged. However, a further comment by Glathaar, the fact that upon physical examination these recent slaves were observed to have wounds of slavery--scarred backs and mangled extremities--cannot be easily dismissed. My ancestor was 37 years old when he enlisted in 1863. I cannot imagine that he had not in those years experienced the cruelest forms of the peculiar institution.
Yet, this particular unit deserves study most of all because of the age and wisdom that existed among them. My sense is that they put their talents and skills to work both for the war effort and to assist their fellow blacks in transitioning to freedom.
*Glatthaar, Joseph T. Forged in Battle: the Civil War Alliance of Black Soldiers and White Officers. New York: The Free Press, 1990.
**Records of the State of Tennessee, M1911, Roll 63, RG 105, Records of the Field Offices for the State of Tennessee, BRFAL, 1865-1872. This record also reveals that Africa Bailey served as witness for Anne Davis, wife of Frank Davis, and for Cornelius Fondue.
