African Americans at the Siege of Petersburg.
In Petersburg
At the beginning of the
American Civil War,
Virginia had a black population of about 549,000. This meant that of the
Confederacy's total black population one in six blacks lived in Virginia. Of those
African Americans in Virginia 89% were
slave. In
Petersburg about half the population was black of which nearly 35% were free. Petersburg was considered to have the largest number of free blacks of any Southern city at that time. Many of the freedmen prospered here as
barbers,
blacksmiths, boatmen, draymen, livery stable keepers, and caterers.
Serving the Confederacy
When Petersburg became a major supply center for the newly formed Confederacy and its nearby capital in
Richmond, both freedmen and slaves were employed in various war functions. One of which was working for the numerous railroad companies that operated in and out of the city. In 1862 Captain
Charles Dimmock used freedmen and slave labor to construct a ten-mile long defensive line of
trenches and batteries around the city.
Once the
siege began in June 1864, African Americans continued working for the Confederacy. In September 1864, General
Robert E. Lee asked for an additional 2,000 blacks to be added to his labor force. On January 11, 1865 General
Robert E. Lee wrote the Confederate Congress urging them to pass pending legislation to arm and enlist black slaves in exchange for their freedom. On March...
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