Ohio's First Black Regiment
As the Union shifted its policy, Milton Holland took charge of recruiting in the region. He recruited 149 men at the Athens County Fairgrounds, initially planning to travel to Massachusetts to join their regiments. John Mercer Langston convinced Holland and his men to enlist as an Ohio regiment instead, and they became the 127th OVI, later the 5th USCT.[1] His brother, William Holland, enlisted in the 16th USCT in Tennessee in October 1864.[2] Read more about the Holland brothers' background here and their post-war lives here.
While Milton Holland was only nineteen years old at the time of his enlistment, he had the presence and boldness of a leader. According to John Mercer Langston’s book:
He was by nature a soldier. He smelt battle from afar, and. was ready at the shortest warning to engage in deadly conflict. At the time he was really a lad of about nineteen years of age, with all the fire of such youthful, daring nature as he possessed in blood and by inheritance. He was a young person of remarkable native intelligence, good name, bearing himself constantly, even among his men, so as to win the largest respect and confidence. The promise of manly life and endeavor were apparent in his case on the most casual observation and contact.[3]
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Milton M. Holland historical marker, Athens County Fairgrounds.
This same fighting spirit was evident in many of the USCT recruits; around fifteen percent of the Black population in the North enlisted in the Union army, while white recruitment suffered and at times required the use of a draft.[4] John Mercer Langston described the recruits, who were mostly young men, as “Ohio men, in the main of excellent physique, character and courage.”[5]
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Despite their readiness to serve in the Union army, the troops had much to overcome during their service. In a letter to John Mercer Langston, Governor Tod said the “pay, bounty, clothing and term for enlistment” for Massachusetts USCT regiments would be equal to what white regiments received. However, Ohio troops would only receive $10 a month and no commission for recruitment.[6] When the early recruits of the 5th USCT learned of this difference, they felt they had been deceived by Tod. The men considered leaving, but according to Langston, Milton Holland and his men were able to persuade Solomon Grimes and his men from Washington County to stay despite this unequal pay.[7] The men were committed to serving the Union, even if they were not granted the treatment or the recognition white troops received.
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The 5th USCT also struggled to receive clothing and supplies. A letter to the regiment expressed disappointment in this delay:
GENTLEMEN : -- I had ordered clothing for your regiment at least ten days ago, and am surprised to learn that it has not been issued to you in due time. Will send you officers for drill at the earliest moment possible.[8]
Despite the struggle to get the supplies they needed, the 5th USCT continued to recruit men, and by fall of 1863 they were through their training – no small feat, given the number of Black Ohioans who had already been recruited into Massachusetts regiments.[9]
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Training days were long. The soldiers who weren’t charged with guarding their encampment practiced company drills until 11 AM, when they were trained in their various duties until their noon lunch. For the rest of the day, the regiment was in battalion drill, where they would learn to march, load and fire their weapons, and move as a unit. This long drill was followed by a dress parade and retreat which marked their 9:30 PM bedtime.[10]
The 5th USCT took to their training well; the men’s drillmaster, Lieutenant Colonel Shurtleff, noted that the soldiers “drill six hours each day. I never saw men learn faster. If efficiently commanded, ours will be as good a regiment as has left the state.”[11]
The 127th OVI (later known as the 5th USCT) at Camp Delaware, OH, 1863. Ohio History Connection.
The hours of drilling paid off when the regiment was sent to Virginia in November. They were stationed in Norfolk, and soon after their arrival they set to work engaging Confederate guerrillas and liberating slaves. They traveled for days in the cool weather without blankets or coats but remained resolute. Despite the fears of many Ohioans who had objected to Black enlistment, the USCT units proved they were not inferior to white soldiers. Milton Holland noted that the speed and endurance of the travelling USCT unit was praised by the white soldiers: “I must say of the 5th, that after twenty days hard scouting, without overcoats or blankets, they returned borne to camp, which the soldiers term their home, making twenty-five and thirty miles per day. Several of the white cavalry told me that no soldiers have ever done as hard marching through swamps and marshes as cheerfully as we did, and that if they had to follow us for any length of time it would kill their horses.”[12] Holland described the unit’s troubles: missing the comforts of home, being paid less than white soldiers for their service, worrying that their wages would not support their families at home. Despite this, the 5th USCT kept their hopes high as they remained in Confederate territory.
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The USCT had much to hope for. Service for many Black soldiers meant more than just preserving their government. The 5th USCT saw chances to free slaves from bondage, and to fight for their chance at a brighter future for their race. Although he was a young man during his service, Milton Holland deeply believed in the future his unit fought for. He used his letters to the Athens Messenger to update Athens residents on the status of his unit, as other Ohio units did, but he also wrote about why military service was so important.
“Spring forth to the call, and show to the world that you are men. You have thus far shown, and still continue to show yourselves worthy of freedom, and you will win the respect of the whole nation. There is a brighter day coming for the colored man, and he must sacrifice home comforts, and his blood if necessary, to speed the coming of that glorious day. I will close my letter in the language of the immortal Henry—'Give me liberty, or give me death!’”[13]
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Milton Holland's letter communicates a deep belief that by serving in the military, Black men could show that they were worthy of better treatment by white Americans.
"We Will Prove Ourselves Men" flag for 127th USCT. Library of Congress
The bravery of the 5th USCT was fully realized at the Battle of New Market Heights in September 1864. Many of the leaders of the USCT were unable to fight due to sickness or injury, but Colonel Shurtleff motivated the men with a reminder that their actions in the coming battle would reflect on their whole race. The USCT continued to tear down the fortifications laid by Confederates. The commanding officers were killed or wounded on the battlefield; Shurtleff was shot in the hand and thigh, but remained on the battlefield, determined to see his men see through the assault.
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The USCT first sergeants took charge. Powhatan Beaty commanded Company D, James Bronson Company G, Robert Finn Company I, and Milton Holland Company C. The Confederates retreated
as the men gained ground.[14]
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Thomas Nast, "A Negro Regiment in Action." Harper's Weekly, March 14, 1863. Princeton University Digital Library.
Each of the men who took up leadership at New Market Heights was awarded a Medal of Honor. Milton Holland was recommended for a promotion to the rank of Captain, but it was denied due to his race.[15] Despite the exceptional nature of his actions, the government was not willing to let Holland receive the full recognition that would be bestowed on a white soldier, a legacy that has followed Holland to current times.
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Despite this victory, Black soldiers were treated poorly by Confederate troops. When Confederates took wounded 5th USCT soldiers as prisoner in 1864, conditions were poor. The Confederate army performed at least three medical amputations on the prisoners, but the medical care was not adequate, and eleven of twenty-three prisoners died, five met unknown fates with one of them being enslaved some time after his capture, and seven, along with their white lieutenant John Viers, were given paroles. Viers recalled seeing the Confederates kill wounded Black soldiers, and that they mocked him for commanding a Black regiment.[16] While Viers escaped safely, the majority of his soldiers did not fare so well in the hands of an army that was hostile to everything they represented.
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Casualties at New Market Heights and Chaffin's Farm were high. The 5th USCT alone saw over 200 casualties: 28 killed, 177 wounded, 23 missing, not including their white officers. [17] Among those who died was Tillman Newman, a Washington County farmer who was born in Virginia. Newman was only 28 years old when he was killed in action. [18] Some of Newman's descendants still live in Athens County. [19]
This loss was a blow to the USCT soldiers and likely contributed to the trauma many soldiers experienced after the war. Still, men like Tillman Newman were willing to leave the comforts of home to risk their lives for a better future for Black Americans, and Newman made the ultimate sacrifice in service of that.
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Tillman Newman Portrait. People of Color Exhibit, Stewart OH.
Tillman Newman Service Record. Ancestry.com database.
Notes
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1. John Mercer Langston, From the Plantation to the Capitol, or The First and Only Negro Representative in Congress from the Old Dominion (Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1894), 210-215. Google Books.
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2. Frank R. Levstik, “William H. Holland: Black Soldier, Politician and Educator,” Negro History Bulletin 36, No. 5 (May 1873) 111.
3. John Mercer Langston, From the Plantation to the Capitol, 211.
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4. James G. Mendez, A Great Sacrifice, 43.
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5. John Mercer Langston, From the Plantation to the Capitol, 201-203.
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6. Ohio Executive Department, Message and Reports, 270, 273.
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7. John Mercer Langston, From the Plantation to the Capitol, 203-205.
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8. Ohio Executive Department, Message and Reports, 275.
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9. Ohio Executive Department, Message and Reports, 270-276; Versalle Freddrick Washington, “Eagles on Their Buttons,” 39-40.
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10. Versalle Freddrick Washington, “Eagles on Their Buttons,” 76-77.
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11.Versalle Freddrick Washington, “Eagles on Their Buttons,” 78-79.
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12. Milton Holland, “From the 5th U.S. Col’d Troops,” Athens Messenger, February 4, 1864.
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13. Milton Holland, “From the 5th U.S. Col’d Troops,” Athens Messenger, February 4, 1864.
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14. Versalle Freddrick Washington, “Eagles on Their Buttons” 135-9.
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15. Tyler Buchanan, “150 Years Later, Justice Still Sought for Black Civil War Hero’s Promotion,” Athens Messenger, November 30, 2018.
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16. Versalle Freddrick Washington, “Eagles on Their Buttons” 146.
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17. Richmond National Battlefield Park Virginia, “USCT Casualties of USCT Units at the Battle of New Market Heights,” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/rich/learn/historyculture/casualties.htm?fbclid=IwAR2K-4Gv61LRUWk_RlNpQqpR--BnHcW5OgUsdN9xpW7GhkcfWuXQGp4p8fM
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18. 1860 United States Federal Census. Rome Township, Athens, Ohio, USA. Ancestry.com Census Database.
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19. David Butcher, Curator, Interview. February 27, 2021.
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Image 2: “127th Ohio Volunteer Infantry - 5th United States Colored Troops photograph,”
SC 1018, Ohio History Connection. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/10793
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Image 3: David Bustill Bowser, “We will prove ourselves men - 127th Regt. U.S. Colored Troops,” Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/98506793/
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Image 4: Thomas Nast, “A Negro Regiment in Action,” New York: Harper’s Weekly, March 14, 1863. Princeton University. Library. Graphic Arts Collection. GA 2008.01685. http://pudl.princeton.edu/objects/cr56n111d
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Image 5: “U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865,” Tillman Newman. Ancestry Database.
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Image 6: Tillman Newman Portrait. Courtesy of David Butcher, People of Color Exhibit.
