Much has been written about the 200,000 African American soldiers who served in the Union army during the Civil War. They were called United States Colored Troops, or USCTs. The last day of the Battle of Nashville (16 December 1864) saw the Confederate troops take up three primary positions south of the city: on the eastern or right flank were Lee’s Corps. They positioned themselves on Peach Orchard Hill. The center and left flanks were, respectively, along Granny White Pike and on top of Compton Hill (now known as Shy’s Hill). About 4:00 p.m., the Union troops under the command of Beatty and Steedman attacked Peach Orchard Hill. The fiercest fighting occurred when the trailing regiment in the 2nd Colored Brigade of Steedman’s division, the 13th United States Colored Troops, attacked the hill. The USCT regiment won the battle and forced the Confederate troops to retreat south along Franklin Pike. Gen. Hood resigned his position within weeks and the Confederate Army of Tennessee was absorbed into other Confederate units by February 1865. The Union regiment lost 220 men in the attack⏤about 40% of their strength. Documentation by Confederate generals revealed their admiration for the USCT and their bravery. They never expected the African American soldiers to fight so strongly.
More people are likely aware of the Tuskegee Airmen, or “The Red Tails” (the Mustang P-51 tails were painted red). This was a unit comprised solely of African American airmen of the United States Army Air Corps. It was during a time when the United States armed services were segregated and African American army soldiers were relegated to combat support assignments (e.g., as cooks, quartermaster, and grave digging). There were 992 Tuskegee pilots (sixty-eight killed-in-action and thirty-two became POWs). They flew a total of 1,578 combat missions destroying 262 enemy aircraft and 179 bomber escort missions. These men were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citations on three separate occasions. Other awards included one Silver Star, ninety-six Distinguished Flying Crosses, fourteen Bronze Stars, and 744 Air Medals. One of the pilots, second lieutenant Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. (1920−1978) stayed in the Air Force and became the first African American four-star general in the United States armed forces.
Our story today revolves around another African American military unit during World War II. This time, it involves the segregated United States Marine Corps (USMC).
Despite President Roosevelt issuing Executive Order 8802 in June 1941 prohibiting discrimination in the armed services based on “color, race, creed, or national origin,” it wouldn’t be until July 1948 when President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 ordering all of the United States military services to desegregate. Read More Test of Medal: Montford Point Camp
