Historic Highlights: 14 Black soldiers earned Medal of Honor at New Market Heights

In the Civil War, most soldiers were white. But some 190,000 Blacks served as well, and the facts behind their stories – and struggles – are sometimes overlooked.

The 1864 battle of New Market Heights, Virginia, is remembered as one of the outstanding examples of Black troops in Civil War combat. Of the 25 Black soldiers who won the Medal of Honor in the Civil War, 14 received them from that battle.

The authorization of Black troops did not sit well, even with many in the Union ranks, and Blacks endured rampant racism in their service. Blacks earned $10 per month, less than the $13 that white soldiers took in, and frequently had to pay for their own clothing, unlike white comrades.

Their assignments were often unfavorable, as many did not believe Blacks had the intellect or fortitude to become good soldiers. Many Confederates made it clear against Black Yankees that no prisoners would be taken.

New Market Heights, which was part of the Petersburg campaign of Ulysses S. Grant, may be one of the most noteworthy events of Blacks in combat, but it was hardly the first. The first known instance was at the battle of Island Mound in west-central Missouri on Oct. 29, 1862.

In addition, Blacks were in the fight in the battles of Cabin Creek, in present-day Oklahoma, on July 2, 1863, and at Honey Springs, also in Oklahoma, on July 17, 1863. The most famous Civil War battle involving Black troops was Battery Wagner, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863, the basis for the 1989 movie “Glory.”

At New Market Heights (also known as Chaffin’s Farm), which was centered around the Southern fortifications of the capital of Richmond, Grant intended a diversionary action to prevent reinforcements from being sent to the concurrent Shenandoah Valley campaign and draw Confederates from south of the James River. A threat against Richmond would also force Robert E. Lee to divert badly needed troops from Petersburg, a vital rail center.

Some 19,600 Union troops and 10,800 Confederates were engaged at New Market Heights. The Union forces were largely from the Army of the James under Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler is remembered as the first Union general to refuse to return runaway slaves to their masters in May 1861.

The Northern forces included a brigade under William Birney, the son of a Southern abolitionist whose brother, David, was one of the high commanders in the attack. The brigade contained six Black regiments and was repulsed with severe losses.

Reference historian Mark Mayo Boatner reports that Birney’s brigade “is reported to have particularly distinguished itself on a day when the Federal assaults were marked with great gallantry.”

As Grant had hoped, Lee was forced to draw troops to the battle. The Union lost a reported 3,327 casualties, while Southern losses were estimated at 2,000.

The Medal of Honor winners from New Market Heights were a mixture of former slaves and free men and were born across both the North and South. One was Maryland-born Alfred Hilton, a flagbearer who carried the American colors as part of his regiment’s color guard.

As his unit advanced on the enemy, Hilton saw another bearer, with the regimental colors, go down. Hilton grabbed those colors before being shot through the leg, screaming “Boys, save the colors!”

Two of his Black comrades came forth to take the flags before they hit the ground. Hilton died of his wounds 23 days later.

Another Black Medal of Honor winner was Robert Pinn, who had trained as a broom manufacturer. The son of a former slave, Pinn suffered three wounds – two in the left leg and one in the right shoulder – at New Market Heights. Pinn later taught school before becoming an attorney.

Christian Fleetwood, one of the men who grabbed the colors from Hilton, was unusually well-educated for his time and had owned one of the first Black newspapers in the Upper South. Fleetwood, who also earned the Medal, held a string of government positions after the war.

Of the 26 Blacks who won the Medal in the Civil War, eight were in naval service. Fifteen of the remaining 18 were part of the U.S. Colored Troops, while the other three were in various Army units.

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.