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©2015, 1/12/2016, Chapter 1, Page 1 of 21
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Chapter 1. The Grand Insult
“A review of the gallant armies now assembling around Washington will take place here on
Tuesday and Wednesday of next week…”
—May 17, 18651
Commented [FSJ1]: I think a stronger quote (if you want
to open with one) would be one referencing either the
dismissal of how important Black people are to the either
1.) the founding of the country in general or 2.) the Union
victory, or even a quote by a Black activist about the
need for Black people to be included in the general
historical narrative of the country. I think this quote as an
intro quote is far too narrow in terms of the chapter/book
overall theme.
I think something similar to this quote: “A government of
a proud, patriotic, prosperous, and free people would
make a magnificent investment by erecting at the
capital of the nation a monument dedicated to its brave
Black soldiers.” – George Washington Williams, 18xx That
way this quote sets the tone not only for this chapter,...but
[1]
In the days before radio, television, and the Internet, wondrous parades of marching
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troops called military reviews were spectacles unlike any other. Aside from their entertainment
Commented [FSJ2]: I think incorporating your “Why...
am
[2]I
Deleted: This announcement by Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary
... [3]
value, military reviews symbolized strength, valor, and purpose. It was not just a way for the
Moved (insertion) [1]
Deleted: a
civilian public to thank the soldiers, but it also affirmed the worthiness of these soldiers’ mission.
As such, because of its long tradition and storied role in the public consciousness, the call for
such a military review after four long, bloody years of conflict rang throughout the nation upon
the Union’s victory over the Confederacy in the American Civil War. In fact, the Army and Navy
Deleted: was a
Deleted: Military reviews had a long tradition, and they played
... a[4]
Moved up [1]: In the days before radio, television and the
Deleted: a
Deleted: to affirm
Deleted: For that reason, many had been arguing for a grand ... [5]
Deleted: at the conclusion of
Journal, a weekly newspaper that closely covered all aspects of the war, expressed:
Deleted: The
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[H]ope that by some ceremony a formal expression of the gratitude of the country
may be conveyed to its defenders. We trust that a magnificent Review may reveal
to the troops themselves and to the people, some idea of the great strength, the
fine material, and the superb condition of their Army.
2
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Commented [FSJ4]: All publications, especially
... [6]
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The New York Times predicted such a review of the troops “will be the greatest event of
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its kind that has taken place during the war, and its moral significance, as the closing scene in the
drama, will be very striking.
3
Affirming the moral significance of the war was important as the Union’s victory had
come at great cost to the nation. The conflict had claimed the lives of over 600,000 men in the
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Deleted:
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Deleted: indeed
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Deleted: because all were aware of the great cost it had extracted
... [7]
Deleted: A month before, on Good Friday, a bullet fired by John
... [8]
Chapter 1
Page 2 of 21
Union and Confederate armies, and approximately one out of every fifty persons living in the
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United States had perished. Even the president of the United States Abraham Lincoln had fallen
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victim to this statistic, being assassinated on Good Friday in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth. It
Commented [FSJ5]: From where does this statistic
come?
would have indeed been passing strange for Union soldiers simply to muster out and go back to
Deleted: ,
their homes without a fitting coda after so much loss and the Republic barely escaping
destruction. As one prominent Civil War historian insisted, “death on such a scale demanded
Deleted: after so much loss, and with the Republic barely escaping
destruction, to have the
Commented [FSJ6]: Who is this historian?
Deleted: has put it
meaning.”4
Washington, DC became electric. The preparations for the Grand Review were so
extensive and massive that they interrupted the most important legal proceeding in the nation: the
trial of the eight conspirators in President Lincoln’s assassination, which had been underway
before a military commission in the Old Arsenal Building. The presiding judge had deemed it
Deleted: , and every hotel room in Washington was soon booked
with visitors from around the country desiring to see this historic
display. Hundreds of celebrants, turned away from the fully booked
hotels, would sleep in the open air, undeterred by the
inconvenience.5 The city was electric. The scope of the event was so
Deleted: it
Deleted: was
appropriate to suspend the trial for those two days, noting, “The public attention is so much
Commented [FSJ7]: Name?
Deleted: in Washington
riveted upon the Grand Review that is in progress, that I much question whether anything will be
accomplished here by attempting to continue the sessions of the court today and tomorrow.”6 In
fact, all branches of government and public businesses were closed due to the Grand Review.
Tens of thousands of people from near and far crowded the sidewalks, balconies,
windows, and rooftops to get a view of the soldiers who would march from the Capitol to the
Deleted: the
Deleted: of the Grand Review
Deleted: I very much doubt the practicability of securing the
attending of witnesses during today and tomorrow: the public offices
are closed, and locomotion through the city is almost impossible.
Deleted: Every other arm of government did the same; all public
business in the city was
Deleted: Indeed
Deleted: suspended
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White House. Schoolchildren lined the parade route, cheering the soldiers and singing patriotic
songs. Young ladies bestowed flowers and kerchiefs upon the heroic men. Banners hung from
Deleted: were
buildings all over the city, displaying patriotic and thankful messages on behalf of organizations,
Deleted: relaying
cities, and states from near and far. Reviewing stands were also set up in front of the White
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House and decorated with flags, stars, and flowers for President Andrew Johnson, cabinet
Deleted: ,
Deleted: . This is where
members, General Grant, the diplomatic corps, and various other dignitaries to view the parade.
Deleted: could review and congratulate the troops
Chapter 1
Page 3 of 21
Even Secretary of State William H. Seward, still recovering from the grave wounds he had
suffered during the assassination attempt that had occurred the same evening President Lincoln
Deleted: in the attempted assassination at his home on
Deleted: that
had succumbed to his, attended the ceremonies.
Around two hundred thousand soldiers marched over the course of two days, with every
colossal assemblage of troops requiring six hours to march in formation down Washington, DC’s
main boulevard each day. Bands played while crowds cheered, saluted, and tossed flowers as
each column of men passed through the throngs of humanity. Newspapers speculated that if
Deleted: lost his life
Deleted: Regiments from General Meade’s Army of the Potomac
marched on the first day, followed on the next by General Sherman’s
army and General Sheridan’s cavalry. Some
Moved (insertion) [2]
Deleted: 200,000 soldiers
Deleted: . It took over six hours on each day for this
Deleted: the
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these men had marched in single file, the line would have reached all the way to Richmond,
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Virginia, the erstwhile capital of the Confederacy. As one popular publication had stated,
Commented [FSJ8]: Name?
“[T]hey deserved an ovation of no ordinary character, and they received such a one as will
forever remain green in their memories.”7 The event was declared a “splendid pageant,”8 the
9
“grandest spectacle of the age,” and just about any other superlative one could imagine. The
Grand Review truly had lived up to its name.
Or had it?
Deleted: Crowds cheered, bands played, salutes were given, and
flowers were tossed as each column of men passed the throng of
humanity.
Deleted: newspaper
Deleted: put it
Deleted: t
Moved up [2]: Some 200,000 soldiers marched. It took over six
hours on each day for this colossal assemblage of troops to march in
formation down the main boulevard of the nation’s capital.
Newspapers speculated that if these men had marched in single file,
the line would have reached all the way to Richmond, Virginia, the
erstwhile capital of the Confederacy.
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Rather than being represented in the Review as gallant, fighting soldiers, Black troops
were displayed as auxiliary personnel who supported the gallant white soldiers, or as subservient
Deleted: did
Deleted: soldiers
and grateful formerly enslaved persons who had been rescued by those gallant white soldiers. To
Deleted: Out
wit, out of those many thousands of soldiers, not a single member of the United States Colored
Deleted: upon thousands
Deleted: one of the 200,000 soldiers in
Troops (USCT) made an appearance during those two celebratory days. The only African-
Deleted: would make
Deleted: fateful
American presence was a smattering of individuals who had accompanied Sherman’s army, and
none had engaged in combat. (Sherman did not allow Black combat troops to serve in his army.)
Deleted: none
Deleted: of whom
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For instance, Black members of Sherman’s “Pioneer Corps” marched, carrying the pickaxes and
Deleted: black
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spades they had used to dig trenches and build roads in support of the Union mission. Members
Deleted: that
Chapter 1 Page 4 of 21
of Sherman’s “Bummer’s Brigade” also tagged along with the white combat soldiers. Those
“bummers” had gathered intelligence, performed reconnaissance, and foraged for food and other
supplies for the white combat troops as they traversed the Deep South in hostile territory,
Deleted: ,
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disconnected from regular Union supply lines. And some of the bummers were former slaves
who were often referred to as “contraband.” There were even a few Black families in the
procession, either self-emancipated or freed with the Union Army assistance, complete with
mothers walking with babies and young children, carrying all of their worldly possessions in
Commented [FSJ9]: I think this would be more effective
as endnotes or as a “boxed” anecdote, as this is
unnecessarily specific to the main point of
noncombatant Black soldiers were included whereas
Black combatants were not.
Deleted: (
Deleted: ).
their arms, on their backs or on their heads, sometimes with the assistance of a mule. These
Deleted: black
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contraband families had followed Sherman’s army across the South for protection and
sustenance, earning their keep by serving as cooks, teamsters, or in any other capacity needed by
the white troops.
Subservience was not the only role these Black soldiers played in the Grand Review; they
were also comic relief. Newspaper stories were replete with examples of the crowds ridiculing
the Black soldiers, such as, “[T]wo black soldiers of the largest size, riding very small mules,
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Deleted: either by self-help
Commented [FSJ10]: This would be more effective as
an endnote or a boxed anecdote, as this is too much
detail for the main point of the devaluing of Black
soldiers in the Grand Review. This is also because this
particular anecdote, I cannot tell if this details about the
mothers and children is referencing how they’re
presented in the Grand Review or how they ended up
with Sherman’s Army after their emancipations.
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their feet nearly touching the ground, was regarded as a comic scene in connection with this part
10
of the display, and occasioned general laughter.” Another “sidesplitting scene” was apparently
“two contraband boys riding diminutive white donkeys, the appearance of which was greeted
11
with shouts of laughter throughout the entire line of [the] March.” There are numerous other
accounts of sneers heaped upon the colored “pickaninnies,” vagabonds, and “negroes blacker
than Erebus” scattered amongst the gallantry.12
While most newspapers gave fawning coverage of the event without any mention of the
missing colored combat troops, their absence was certainly not unnoticed. General Benjamin
Butler, who had commanded USCT regiments during the war, gave a speech in his native
Deleted: Rather than being represented in the Review as gallant,
fighting soldiers, blacks were displayed as auxiliary personnel who
supported the gallant white soldiers, or as subservient and grateful
former slaves who had been rescued by those gallant white soldiers.¶
Deleted: But s
Deleted: n’t
Deleted: their only part; the black participants had another role in
the Grand Review -- they served as the
Deleted: The newspapers reported that the “curious” collection of
non-combatants who were part of Sherman’s army garnered much
attention from the excited onlookers, and the crowds widely mocked
the decidedly un-gallant black members of the procession.
Deleted: are
Deleted: of this ridicule. T
Deleted: wo members of the colored pioneer corps were a favorite
tableau of the jeering crowd, as these
Deleted: t
Chapter 1
Page 5 of 21
Massachusetts decrying the omission, asking, “What shall we say of those colored men who
Deleted: w
[served] with instinctive loyalty and patriotism…shall he be denied even the poor honor of
Deleted: ,
Deleted: , volunteered with us in our defense[, . . .]
participating in the review of the troops who won those great victories, at the national capital?”13
Deleted:
The Emancipation League passed a resolution at its annual meeting in Boston declaring the snub
Deleted: omission
“insulting” to the colored troops and a shameful act of deference by the Union leadership to the
rebels’ hurt feelings.14
Deleted: hurt feelings of the
Deleted:
Many questioned how, and why, such an oversight could have possibly occurred. Several
newspapers recounted the exculpatory explanations of unnamed Union officials: that the
omission was merely coincidence; all of the USCT regiments were being deployed to locations
Deleted: , as
in the West and the South and were therefore not available to participate in the event. Thus, the
Deleted: goes
story went:
Deleted: ,
There were no colored soldiers at that time nearer Washington than City Point
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(Virginia) where one or two brigades were stationed. It was contemplated by the
Secretary of War and General Grant to order them to Washington for the sake of
having them make part of the review…but it was finally decided otherwise on the
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ground that it would occasion great trouble and expense, as other troops would
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have to be brought from other points to put in their place.15
This explanation was rather weak, given that some of those USCT deployments surely
Deleted: ”
Deleted: seems
could have been delayed or adjusted. The official line became more implausible when one
Deleted: becomes
considered the 24th Regiment of the USCT was stationed right across the Potomac River at
Deleted: considers
Deleted: that
Camp Casey in Arlington, Virginia on the very day the Grand Review had begun!16 But most of
Deleted: from Washington –
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the press accepted the official explanation, and they exercised editorial privilege to criticize the
“overzealous friends of the colored race” for making the “silly” suggestion the colored troops
Deleted: began
Deleted: ¶
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Chapter 1
Page 6 of 21
were left out “to spare the sensitive feelings of the rebels, which might have been wounded by
such an exhibition.”17 Even famed abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison joined the many others
who were willing to give the Union leadership the benefit of the doubt, proclaiming, “Our
Deleted: his belief that
Deleted: our
generals are more just than to refuse due honor to any soldier, white or black, who has battled
nobly for the cause of the Union.”18
Regardless if the exclusion of the colored troops from the Grand Review was intentional
Deleted:
Deleted: of whether
Deleted: premeditated
or coincidental, many African Americans felt the omission demanded remedy. So saying, a
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committee of Black citizens in Pennsylvania organized a reception for the colored troops in the
19
state capital of Harrisburg. The committee selected George E. Stevens, one of the original
members of the famed 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment and a hero of the battle
Deleted: that
Deleted: deserved a
Deleted: Proclaiming “Welcome! Welcome!”
Deleted: black
Deleted: 54th Massachusetts volunteers
at Fort Wagner, to lead the arrangements, which included a magnificent parade and banquet.20
Hundreds of soldiers from USCT regiments and detachments from various states came to
participate in the festivities, and several thousand joyous and thankful Black residents cheered
Deleted: black
the marching soldiers and accompanied them on the procession through the city. The parade
paused at the mansion of former U.S. Senator and former Secretary of War Simon Cameron to
receive his gracious remarks. Nicknamed “General Cameron,” he served as Secretary of War at
the beginning of Lincoln’s administration; however, his steadfast support of emancipating the
enslaved and arming the freedmen to fight the Confederates resulted in Cameron being pushed
out of the Administration in early 1862.
I never doubted that the people of African descent would play a great part in the
Deleted: . It was to Cameron that Robert E. Lee addressed his
letter of resignation from the U.S. Army so that he could take up
with the Confederacy.
Deleted: While Cameron was the war secretary at the beginning of
the conflict, he did not last long. H
Deleted: slaves
Deleted: in early 1862, well before such a position reached
consensus within the cabinet or with Lincoln himself,
Deleted: .
struggle, and am proud to say that all my anticipation has been more than realized.
Your services, offered in the early part of the war, were refused, but when the
Deleted: For Cameron, this day in Harrisburg was a day of
vindication. He warmly received the accolades of the black
soldiers he had envisioned. And he surely felt that history had
proven him correct as he told the assembled troops that “
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struggle became of life and death, then the country gladly received you, and,
Chapter 1 Page 7 of 21
thank God, you nobly redeemed all you promised. Like all other men, you have
your destinies in your own hands, and if you continue to conduct yourselves
hereafter as you have done in the struggle, you will have all the rights you ask
for—all the rights that belong to human beings.21
Deleted: –
Deleted: ”
And that, indeed, was the burning question: what would be the rights of the freedmen
now that the war was over?
The Christian Recorder, the official newspaper of the African Methodist Episcopal
(AME) Church and considered by many as the voice of Black America, undoubtedly spoke for
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countless freedmen when it demanded equal rights, including voting rights. In its view, the
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USCT had earned suffrage for the colored race, asking the nation, “Would you be guilty of
depriving a race of people of the inestimable right of franchise and equality before the law, who,
Deleted: ,
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Deleted: would
when the country was tottering under the throes of revolution and secession, and the terrible
wings of eternal dissolution were hovering over her crushed and shattered institutions,
shouldered the musket, and went bravely forward, in the face of all the contumely and prejudice
which surrounded them and rescued the bleeding country from the murderous grasp of a power
which the white man was unable to overcome?”22
The Harrisburg commemoration organizer certainly had a suggestion. They presented a
resolution to the crowd by Dr. John P. Smith of Boston that stated:
We earnestly appeal to our white fellow citizens to show their gratitude to their
colored defenders by undoing the mighty wrong done to the colored freeman of
Pennsylvania, in that amendment to the Constitution which deprived them of the
elective franchise.
Commented [FSJ12]: I think this works better as an
anecdote and not part of the main manuscript. This
derails from the Harrisburg narrative.
Deleted: The organizers of t
Deleted: shared this view
Deleted: After Cameron’s address, and amongst the marching,
speeches, and patriotic songs, a resolution t
Deleted: drafted was
Commented [FSJ13]: Who is this and why is he
important enough to be named?
Deleted: . It stated that
Deleted: ,
Deleted: “we
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Commented [FSJ14]: Citation needed.
Page 1: [1] Commented [FSJ1]
Frierson, Savannah Jordan
5/12/2016 11:37:00 AM
I think a stronger quote (if you want to open with one) would be one referencing either the
dismissal of how important Black people are to the either 1.) the founding of the country in
general or 2.) the Union victory, or even a quote by a Black activist about the need for Black
people to be included in the general historical narrative of the country. I think this quote as an
intro quote is far too narrow in terms of the chapter/book overall theme.
I think something similar to this quote: “A government of a proud, patriotic, prosperous, and free
people would make a magnificent investment by erecting at the capital of the nation a
monument dedicated to its brave Black soldiers.” – George Washington Williams, 18xx That way
this quote sets the tone not only for this chapter, but for the entire book, and then you can go
into why there was such reluctance/refusal to do this very thing, which is the starting arc of this
narrative, toward this wish of Williams finally being realized almost 150 years later.
Page 1: [2] Commented [FSJ2]
Frierson, Savannah Jordan
5/12/2016 11:34:00 AM
I think incorporating your “Why am I writing this book?” before this chapter as a sort of prologue
will give context to this first chapter; because right now, it reads as a lot of information about the
Civil War and Black soldiers, and there is no obvious connection about why this oversight is
foundational to why there’s even the push and now the establishment for the National AA
History Museum. This book is to hook the lay reader, not those who already have working
knowledge or even interest in this topic.
Page 1: [3] Deleted
Frierson, Savannah Jordan
5/12/2016 11:49:00 AM
This[FSJ1] announcement by Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of War, stirred great
excitement among those faithful to the Union. Much had transpired on the battlefield in the past
month, as General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate forces had surrendered to General Ulysses S.
Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, followed soon thereafter by the western forces of
the Confederacy, under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston, who surrendered to
General William Tecumseh Sherman in North Carolina. Union soldiers had also captured
Jefferson Davis, the Confederate President, who had gone into hiding and tried to escape to the
countryside by disguising himself as a woman. For all intents and purposes, the Civil War was
over. After four long, bloody years of conflict, the Confederacy was defeated. The Union troops
had won.
And now it was time for the nation to show its appreciation.
Page 1: [4] Deleted
Frierson, Savannah Jordan
5/12/2016 12:13:00 PM
Military reviews had a long tradition, and they played a storied role in the public consciousness.
In the days before radio, television and the Internet, a wondrous parade of marching troops was a
spectacle unlike any other. But beyond
Page 1: [5] Deleted
Frierson, Savannah Jordan
5/12/2016 12:14:00 PM
For that reason, many had been arguing for a grand parade of the victorious Union Army through
the nation’s capital well before Stanton’s announcement
Page 1: [6] Commented [FSJ4]
Frierson, Savannah Jordan
5/12/2016 12:16:00 PM
All publications, especially newspapers and journals, should be italics.
Page 1: [7] Deleted
Frierson, Savannah Jordan
5/12/2016 12:25:00 PM
because all were aware of the great cost it had extracted from the nation
Page 1: [8] Deleted
Frierson, Savannah Jordan
5/12/2016 12:57:00 PM
A month before, on Good Friday, a bullet fired by John Wilkes Booth had claimed the life of
President Abraham Lincoln. Even as Secretary Stanton’s announcement went forth, Mary Todd
Lincoln was still ensconced in the White House, mourning the loss of her husband. Death had
been an unwelcome visitor to many a family during the course of the war, as t