Answer

African Americans in the Union War

During the war between the Union and the Confederate side, it was apparent that African Americans played a significant role. Considering the fact that one of the major bones of contention between the North and the South was not only about the cessation issue but also about the issue of slavery, it would have been expected that the African Americans would have wanted to play a role in the Union war effort. African Americans provided non-combat support functions allowing, the Union army to operate effectively.

President Lincoln issued an Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 which allowed African Americans to take part in the Union war (Lang, 2017). Their desire to join the war had been borne much earlier, but they were inhibited from listing due to a federal law that had been in existence from as far back as 1792, barring them from bearing arms for the US army. Recruitment of blacks to the US army increased after the above-mentioned proclamation. About 179,000 black men ended up serving in the army (this accounted for a tenth of the Union army) while another 19,000 were serving in the Navy (Lang, 2017). The number of black soldiers that died in the course of the war was approximately 40,000, 30,000 of whom died from infectious diseases. The soldiers are recognized for serving in the infantry and artillery (Lang, 2017). They are essentially said to have played a significant role in sustaining the US army since they took on all non-combat support functions that were essential for the running of the army (Lang, 2017). They worked as carpenters, cooks, chaplains, laborers, guards, nurses, spies, scouts, steamboat pilots, teamsters and surgeons (Lang, 2017). Having removed this burden from the army, more white soldiers could be recruited for combat activities. In this regard, the African Americans played a significant role in the Union war effort.

In the war between the Confederate side and the Union, African Americans played a significant role in influencing the outcome of the war. They were particularly keen on offering their services to the union side and by dint of the Emancipation Proclamation; they took on all non-combat support functions in the army. This sustained the entire army and ensured that while soldiers could focus on the combat functions.