On the Battlefield: Records of Soldiers, Veterans, and Refugees

Prior to emancipation, Black soldiers served both voluntarily and involuntarily in conflicts in what is now the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.

Enslaved and free men took part in military conflicts including colonial wars (1609–1775), the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the War of 1812 (1812–1815), and the Civil War (1861–1865). Later, free Black soldiers—most of whom were descended from enslaved people—participated in the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899–1902). This project will rely not just on the rich records created for soldiers, but also for veterans and wartime refugees.

Examples of records: Military records (muster rolls, pay rolls, drafts, enlistment records, etc.), Veteran records (pension records, bounty land warrants, veteran headstone inscription records, etc.), Documentation from the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands—more commonly known as “the Freedmen’s Bureau”.