United States Navy

African American men served in significant numbers in the United States Navy during the Civil War. Unlike the Union Army, which initially resisted the enlistment of Black soldiers, the Navy had long employed Black sailors and continued to do so throughout the conflict. When the war began in 1861, the Navy accepted Black recruits in a variety of ratings, and thousands of African American men joined naval crews serving aboard warships, blockading vessels, and river gunboats. By the end of the war, roughly 18,000 Black sailors had served in the Union Navy, representing nearly one-fifth of the Navy’s enlisted force. These men served in naval operations along the Atlantic coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and on the inland river systems, participating in major engagements that supported Union military campaigns and the blockade of Confederate ports. ¹

African American sailors were assigned to a range of naval ratings depending on their experience and the needs of the ship. A Landsman was typically an inexperienced sailor or a recruit with little maritime background who performed general labor aboard ship while learning basic seamanship, such as handling ropes, maintaining equipment, and assisting more experienced crew members. A Seaman was a trained sailor responsible for duties essential to operating the vessel, including steering, handling sails or rigging, standing watch, and manning naval guns during combat. Black sailors were often also assigned to positions such as steward or cook, roles that involved managing provisions, preparing meals for officers and crew, and maintaining order in the ship’s galley and living quarters. Although these latter positions reflected the racial hierarchies that persisted in naval service, many African American sailors served in active seafaring roles and participated directly in naval combat operations throughout the war. ²

¹ Steven J. Ramold, Slaves, Sailors, Citizens: African Americans in the Union Navy (DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2002), 1–5; Joseph P. Reidy, Black Sailors in the Civil War: A History of African Americans in the Union Navy (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2011), 23–27.

² Ramold, Slaves, Sailors, Citizens, 63–68; Reidy, Black Sailors in the Civil War, 41–45.

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