Civil War Stories Of Black Soldiers: North Star | Full Documentary

on the battlefield what does my status shield in this society will it gave me notoriety or will they lie to me the civil war was a pageantry of so many extreme emotions and passions it was in in many people's view the defining moment of what it is to be an american for many of us in minnesota there's a sense that that was an experience that really wasn't a part of me and so i find that the stories of those who hadn't had a voice in the past to be compelling and probably more relevant to most people who don't feel like they have a voice we are the sons of freedom rather than being seen as passive participants in their own history now scholars are starting to really portray these african-americans as very active and dynamic participants who move their status forward through distinct action including sacrificing their own lives on the battlefield the stories of how black men in minnesota came to where the union blue speaks to the meaning of service to a nation that didn't always serve you of the hard to find history of marginalized communities and the ways history connects us all these are some of the civil war stories of minnesota's black pioneers we are the sons of freedom north star civil war is a tpt partnerships co-production with the ramsey county historical society and twin cities pbs this program was made possible by funds provided by the state of minnesota through the minnesota historical society from the arts and cultural heritage fund [Music] at the onset of the civil war black men weren't seen as having the character courage or capability to fight for their freedom the union army generals and the politicians original stance on black participation in the civil war was to borrow it lincoln's emancipation proclamation set the stage for african americans to join segregated units but why risk it when the war was well underway it makes sense therefore for african-american men who weren't expected to fight to just sit back and let it happen and i think a lot of society expected blacks to sit back it became critical for african americans precisely for that bias that they knew existed in society that it wasn't just an issue of becoming free so when an african-american signed up to fight what he was doing was laying the groundwork for a future that he hoped would be governed by dignity and respect [Music] the brooklyn township historical society created a detailed chronicle of the residents from the suburban community who fought in the civil war the list is titled rule of honor list of the patriots of brooklyn who enlisted for the suppression of the great slaveholders rebellion they didn't call it secession it wasn't a civil war it was a rebellion of the slaveholders i came to this soldier named steven dutton and when i went to look to see what regiment he was in it said 57th colored infantry that really grabbed me we do know that he was a slave in alabama he escaped somehow he was able to make his way up to minnesota he received a town bond for 225 dollars or in other words a bounty to enlist with brooklyn township as his home late in the war with casualties mounting it was hard to find men to enlist so to avoid a draft communities would offer a bounty to volunteers because he was willing to enlist towns were fighting for him and they were actually bidding for him and he actually took a lesser amount because a soldier from brooklyn township his name was thomas green with the third minnesota infantry regiment and in 64 he became an officer in a colored regiment and he enticed stephen dutton to enlist from brooklyn township and be a part of his 57th u.s colored troop so that was the connection of stephen dutton to brooklyn township offered up a bounty for the volunteers only way to be a patriot was be a pioneer so the 57th u.s colored infantry was stationed in arkansas mostly in little rock for the most part they were on guard and garrison duty although they did fight in the few skirmishes so we know that he came back to minnesota in 1865 with his army pay in his bounty dutton bought land and was listed in the 1870 census as the only african-american farmer in minneapolis the black veteran would see himself reflected in the diverse community old brooklyn township has become well we have a large liberian population in brooklyn center brooklyn park and of course the reason why they're here today is because of the civil war in liberia and it was very important for me to get these books into the school rooms into the classrooms despite his continued research daryl sannis has not yet found dutton's final resting place so he's in an unmarked grave somewhere and i've been looking for him for 10 years well it'd be wonderful of course if we had diaries and memoirs and other kind of documents of those hundred plus black men who had participated in the civil war and who were minnesotans or who ended up in in minnesota without a grave marker or personal accounts dutton at least now has an honor for a service inspired by the american revolution so they thought that anyone who was going to fight to preserve the union should be again called a patriot this land in stearns county minnesota has been in the same family since the 1850s this place symbolizes the story of immigration and building the american dream but it's also a part of minnesota's black civil war story herman schafers is my great grandfather who had immigrated from hagensdorf germany in 1855 with his family he got drafted for the civil war and so he ended up walking from roscoe minnesota to fort snelling to sign up and that's over 100 miles both the north and the south allowed men who were drafted to hire substitutes to serve for them family story was that hermann was at fort snelling and that an african-american young man came up to him and said i'll go in your place the other part of the the story was that this young gentleman ended up dying in the war [Music] i ended up at the historical society and i told them the story and the person there said well we can just pull the muster records and i start paging through the ledger and see finally an entry dixon william and that he went as a substitute for hermann schaefer's and this was just incredibly moving because it went from this story to a person we knew that he was from tennessee we know that he was 5'4 18 years old 18 years old that he was mixed race he was mulatto was listed on it so it became this person at this point the schaefers haven't found any photos of william dixon but the more they lift him up and say his name the more dixon gets back his own agency humanity and manhood his willingness his bravery in going south down that river we just empathized with him and we cared about him we wanted his story to be remembered you peel back the onion and there's more questions that come out than answers right the only thing we know is those nine months [Music] when dred scott was here he was dr emerson's slave and so alicia velante is a scholar and historian with an interest in equity and social justice kate read an article of alicia's and reached out to share her story of william dixon [Music] so what was your thoughts somehow william dixon is here at the fort offering to volunteer for someone somewhere on these historic grounds hermann and william connected and struck a deal with the down payment schaefers kept his word and sent dixon the rest of the money but the young soldier never got a chance to use it and start a new life he was deployed down river to louisiana where like so many soldiers in the civil war he died of disease most of the time he was in the in the service he suffered and so that breaks my heart and that's the story of most people who fought in the civil war most of the deaths were yeah right william dixon passed away great grandfather felt that it was important enough to keep telling that story yes i think when you look at the life he built he worked hard his whole life he kept that farm together to give to his children so the family through the generations has kept that farm dear to us everything that that farm seems to represent is all about life yes it's all about sustainability it's all about love you know and it's all about family and i think like what a beautiful legacy i think especially for our kids there is a new appreciation for what william dixon meant to our family and just kind of understanding where they came from while the farm is a living legacy of this immigrant and this african american dixon is also recognized at the african american civil war museum in washington dc while in d.c kate visited the site and shared the story of her family's connection to dixon with a museum staffer who was so moved that he suggested she come back to the museum to do a descendants lecture i'm not a descendant but yet my family benefited from this man's decision to go in herman's place and so to be even invited to do a descendant speech it felt like incredible irony but also an honor so that gets to your question do we feel like he's a part of our family yeah [Music] from europeans to southeast asians and africans many have come to minnesota because of the disruption and dislocation caused by war african americans share a part of this refugee experience there is a african-american refugee history that's associated with many different events if you rewind back that was true for for those folks who were part of minnesota's history in the 1850s and 1860s from the plantation and there's a clash waiting to but blacks on the move during the civil war weren't called refugees instead a curious word was added to america's racial lexicon contraband basically means the the slave who left the plantation general benjamin butler coined the term contraband general ben butler said these people are contraband of war they are no different in a sense than the than the mules and the horses than anything else that we capture from the enemy they are contraband of war being used for war purposes contraband tended to dehumanize blacks but that was the language of the middle years of the civil war because there were a number of slave owning states that had not seceded and so the federal government was constantly walking a tightrope in fighting this war without alienating a lot of potential southern allies who wanted to keep their slaves in fact this tightrope walking meant lincoln's emancipation proclamation didn't free all of those in bondage the emancipation proclamation only included those states that were still in open rebellion against the union the 13th amendment would free all enslaved blacks but those in border states like missouri weren't waiting and set out to find their freedom some of these contraband were brought to minnesota to work as teamsters during the dakota war and so general henry hastings sibley our first governor looks to st louis can you send us some steamsters and what about contraband teamsters the black teamsters met a military recruiter from iowa a man named alexander clark came up here to fort snelling to recruit he knew that all these guys were coming back so clark recruited uh oh 30 some of these ex-teamsters to go with him down to kia cook iowa to join what became known as the 60th united states colored infantry at that time it was a first regiment iowa infantry of african descent here you have this iowa unit that's african-american and almost half the guys say that they are from fort snelling minnesota we are the sons of freedom their job in helena arkansas was to protect a series of federal plantations at one point there was word received that a force of confederate cavalry was coming in to raid the plantations so an expedition of these african-american troops infantry and artillery was sent out toward big creek arkansas they were attacked on all four sides by confederates they were trapped they fought for pretty much a whole day and finally a force of cavalry came to their rescue and they managed to get away they held their own they proved their worth as soldiers in their very first battle among the soldiers fighting with the 60th united states colored infantry was henry howard he was one of the young men who escaped from slavery was brought up to st louis was sent up to fort snelling joins the army down to saint louis survives the disease down there down to helena survives the disease and is killed in action in arkansas quite a defining story to sacrifice your life is by enrolling we transformed ourselves to a higher purpose what is it about the notion of sacrifice that compel people to put their lives on the line i find civil wars uh is compelling because it gives us that that window into the human nature of traumatics paid them homage they responded for respect and dignity the african-american soldiers of the 39th u.s colored infantry presented this saber to their colonel azor stearns of olmsted county minnesota he was one of many white minnesotans who became officers in black regiments sometimes african americans would develop close ties with their officers so that when their officers had had finished their tours of duty the african-americans would follow them back to their homes among the black veterans to migrate to minnesota after the war was dakota county's george daniels he served with william leduc from hastings minnesota this carriage house on the historic leduca state is where george daniels called home as he started his post-war life in minnesota and where he is still celebrated as a pioneer of dakota county another celebrated black civil war veteran is litchfield's lamplighter a van spence he was born in 1837 in alabama and he was a slave and during the civil war he was forced to fight for the confederacy and he deserted and joined the union army lieutenant frank daggett was a draw for vance mess to make his home in meeker county daggett was also an early member of the grand army of the republic the major veterans group for the union soldiers this gar post in litchfield minnesota is named for daggetty every small town had their own gar post and at a number of these posts they had african-american members who were accepted into full membership which is really unusual in the time period when you think of most social institutions there were racial divides but yet the grand army of the republic was generally speaking open to participation by any true veteran of that conflict if i didn't believe that this african-americans was equal he looks equal once he puts on that uniform he was a great musician he played several instruments he used to entertain here at the hall he was married he had six children he named that son frank daggett after frank dagen he had a son who was the ball boy for the championship football team in 1900 and that son went on to be a firefighter down in minneapolis [Music] he was a custodian at the courthouse he was the lamp lighter they were actually kerosene so he had to go and light them and then he had to go and put him out when it was time to go put him out and i've read stories that he always carried candy with him in his pockets and he'd give the children candy they'd follow him around he had to fight to get paid for the work he did lighting the lamps there were certain councilmen at the time that didn't want to pay him but the community overwhelmingly forced them to pay the ledgers talk about about mr van spence being person who did all of these fundraisers to help build this hall he was so proud of this place that he would do anything and also to raise funds for the relief of veterans and their widows here's where they talk about that albert put on a fine barbecue and raised you know eighty dollars we even have a picture of him doing this this is really neat yeah van spence was involved in the afro-american league which gathered in minnesota in 1891. his another civil war veterans service was cited as central to this early civil rights movement declaring we are citizens of the great state of minnesota in war and peace and avenues of industry on the fields of carnage we have done our duty although slavery has been abolished we are thoroughly convinced that it is absolutely necessary for the preservation of our sacred rights as citizens that we place ourselves in such a position to arouse the conscience of the entire people van spence died in minneapolis in 1910 he was brought back to litchfield to be buried in the community that would continue to honor him [Music] he fought for his freedom he fought in the war he came here he continued to fight for the rights of veterans and their families a great part of this community we we see why uh these histories are important they are they are not divisive they actually do the opposite they bring people together [Music] cemeteries are an art gallery and a place of faith a space for family and history in minnesota african-american civil war stories can be found in these common grounds [Music] we were here looking for the marker of green chambers and after a bit of work we found it colored troops usct all right thank you yeah no problem green chambers served in 115th u.s colored troops he came with a company officer back to minnesota he went to anoka minnesota with the money that he had earned from his civil war pay bought a farm in blaine township and and farmed there for the rest of his life and became a very prominent citizen 40 miles south of saint paul another researcher became an accidental scholar of the state's black civil war story jeff souve was on a walk with his wife when he noticed a headstone that had been overgrown by a tree his wife crawled under the branches and read the name on the marker and she said it says john boone and i i just couldn't believe it and it was just like this incredibly emotional moment because his wife is buried on the other side of the cemetery and here john was the archivist's further research revealed that john missouri and some of their extended family were free blacks from north carolina who found their way to central minnesota and established really one of the first african-american settlements in the territory of minnesota the idea of the frontier a movement into a freer uh world of possibility that clearly was part of the part of the process of thinking for so many early african americans who came to this state in some cases again before the civil war in a high proportion of them i believe about 80 percent of african-american men enlist to fight the civil war off he goes leaving missouri behind she took it upon herself to come to northfield in january of 1865. while missouri settled into the small town john was assigned to a missouri colored troop regiment he was sent to the missouri 18th they had battles eventually in nashville chattanooga so he was seasoned john actually made corporal so you know he was held up with some esteem the boone's daughter midi moved to minneapolis for more opportunities she became the first black woman to hold the position of registrar of deeds at hennepin county she married matt cannon their son raymond fought in world war one following his grandfather's example of leading through service and then serving through leadership oftentimes if you think about it the people who fought in the wars were african-americans who were of some standing or if they were not they certainly used the opportunity to now catapult themselves into middle class society so they would become professionals whether it be doctors or lawyers that was the that was the great gateway for african americans to sort of get ahead was to serve this country raymond cannon whose story connects northfield to the south side of minneapolis was a strident voice for equity in the military urging the desegregation of the armed forces that wouldn't come until after world war ii he would appreciate the idea of cemeteries being common ground for soldiers so they faced segregation their whole lifetime they faced slavery but even though there was segregation in the military until after world war ii here in the cemetery all the soldiers are buried together so you have african-american and white soldiers buried alongside each other there's still many stories out there waiting to be discovered so we really need to do a lot more research on who these men were the pathology of these extreme emotions the defining moment to sacrifice your life is by enrollment emancipation from the plantation and there's a clash waiting you can see the flags waving on the battlefield what does my status shield in this society well it gave me notoriety a will they lie to me held in bondage and they failed the promise set for centuries paid them homage they responded for respect and dignity stephen robert hickman william dixon the truest pilgrims risking life and them for their decisions whether from enlisting or escaping from the prison a better future for their families was in their vision stearns county offered up a bounty for the volunteers only way to be a patriot was be a [Music] is a tpt partnerships co-production with the ramsey county historical society and twin cities pbs this program was made possible by funds provided by the state of minnesota through the minnesota historical society from the arts and cultural heritage fund you

Channel: Twin Cities PBS

Views: 53,840

Keywords: Civil War Black Soldiers, Black civil war stories, Black history, Black Minnesota history, black history documentary, black history movies, black history crash course, minnesota black history, civil war, american civil war, pbs documentary black history, black history slavery documentary, american black history documentary, black history documentary films, history documentary black death, black soldiers, black soldiers civil war, history documentary, civil war black soilders

Id: bTaD8_aXGK4

Length: 26min 41sec (1601 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 27 2021