ABSTRACT
COFFMAN, PETER. “He Has Earned the Right of Citizenship”: The Black Soldiers of North Carolina in the Civil War, A Comment on Historiography, Treatment, and Pensions. (Under the Direction of Donald Parkerson) Department of History, April 2015.
The Frederick C. Douglass Papers, held at the Joyner Library of East Carolina University are an important source of information concerning the black soldiers of North Carolina. Many historians have written about the various regiments of the United States Colored Troops (USCT).
However, what is there to know about the experiences of black soldiers who enlisted, served, and sacrificed in North Carolina? What is there to know about the veterans who sought financial recompense for their sacrifices from the United States Military Pension System? What can we learn about the struggles of the black soldier’s family or survivors who sought financial relief for that soldier’s death or post-war infirmities?
This thesis acknowledges the honor, courage, and sacrifice of the black soldiers of the
United States Colored Troops, specifically, the regiments of North Carolina. The pension agent
Frederick C. Douglass assisted the veterans and their families in New Bern, NC, and the surrounding areas of eastern North Carolina with filing the necessary documents with the
Pension Bureau. Sadly, many today are familiar with the scandals of the contemporary United
States Veteran’s Administration but know little of the legislation that prompted the earliest days of that bureaucratic giant. The history of the Pension System and the inauguration of the USCT are nearly simultaneous. The same general wartime necessity prompted the genesis of this historical phenomenon.
Using various primary and secondary sources, this thesis will reveal how black soldiers of North Carolina regiments struggled to serve the United States in the Civil War. It will further reveal how those soldiers and their families struggled for recognition in a pension system that was unable to comprehend the cultural differences and needs of ex-slaves.
“He Has Earned the Right of Citizenship”: The Black Soldiers of North Carolina in the Civil War; A Comment on Historiography, Treatment, and Pensions.
A Thesis
Presented To the Faculty of the Department of History
East Carolina University
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts in History
By
Peter W. Coffman
April, 2015
© Peter W. Coffman, 2015
“He Has Earned the Right of Citizenship”: The Black Soldiers of North Carolina in the Civil War: A Comment on Historiography, Treatment, and Pensions. by
Peter W. Coffman
APPROVED BY:
DIRECTOR OF THESIS: ______Dr. Donald Parkerson, PhD
COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______Dr. David Dennard, PhD
COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______Dr. Jo Ann Parkerson, PhD
COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______Dr. Kenneth Wilburn, PhD
CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY: ______Dr. Gerald Prokopowicz, PhD
DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: ______Paul J. Gemperline, PhD
DEDICATION
This thesis is dedicated to all past and present comrades who have served this great nation. The sacrifices of so many who have served our nation have sadly gone unmentioned in the annals of history. This thesis is an attempt to bring out of the dusty shadows the honorable and heroic sacrifices of a very important group of men and their families who gave so much and received in proportion so very little for their sacrifices. The men of the United States Colored Troops deserve their place of honor next to their fellow comrades in arms of every generation. To these men I give a salute. Lest we forget.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Every scholastic success story begins with the instructional professionals who influence, guide, and with loving care correct the student. For this reason, I want to thank all the professors and staff of the History Department of East Carolina Uni