Death or Victory: The Louisiana Native Guards and the Transformation of African American Society during the American Civil War
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“Death or Victory” examines one of the most important group of African American regiments to serve in the American Civil War. First constituted in the New Orleans home guards on 2 May 1861, they volunteered to serve so they could protect an African American community that took generations to build in the city with the largest economy within the South. However, the cornerstone of the Confederacy ensured the Native Guards were never utilized by the South. New Orleans was liberated from Confederate control in May 1862, and the Native Guards were reconstituted in the Union Army on 22 August 1862. From the date they mustered into the military, the regiments provided a test case for federal authorities, and at each stage they performed admirably. Their service in the sugar rich La Fourche Parish, the Siege of Port Hudson, and the disastrous Red River Campaign all demonstrated that soldiers of color were worthy of shouldering a musket and fighting in the war. The War Department subsequently expanded Black regiments because of their service, and by the end of the Civil War, the African American society of Louisiana supplied more Black soldiers than any other state in the nation. They were heroes—men who liberated themselves and thousands of others—all while fighting against systematic oppression within the military. Thanks to their efforts, Reconstruction in Louisiana was stronger than anywhere else, with many of the regiments’ former Black officers taking office. These regiments are part of the foundation of the African American society in New Orleans, and their story is worthy of being told and retold.
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