How the North’s War Aims Evolved Between 1861 and 1863

The Civil War facilitated far-reaching changes in the life of American society, with one of the most significant being the destruction of the institution of slavery. At the start of the war, Congress nearly unanimously agreed upon the fact that the Union had no plans associated with interfering with slavery. However, as the Confederacy enabled slaves to work as war laborers and Blacks began escaping union lines, the position of eliminating slavery altogether began shifting. When the federal army took over the Confederate territory, thousands of slaves headed for union lines, providing military intelligence as well as knowledge of the South’s terrain. Moreover, in Southern Louisiana, the Union army’s arrival led to the slaves refusing to work on plantations unless they were paid a wage; thus, slavery became worthless.

By the end of 1861, the Union army was using slaves as laborers or cooks. With the help of white abolitionists, the navy of the Union began enrolling slaves in the First South Carolina Volunteers. In earnest, the recruitment of Black soldiers in the army started after the Emancipation Proclamation. By the end of the Civil War, 24,000 Blacks were in the navy, while 180,000 were in the military. Therefore, the soldiers who used to be slaves not only played an important part in reaching victory in the Civil War but also in defining its consequences. Thanks in part to the military service provided by Blacks, many Republicans started to believe that the emancipation process should include equal protection under laws regardless of color.