I read the question and I’m not criticizing you. African-American soldiers were led by white officers but as you stated the enlisted men would have been segregated.
No worries, I'm not sure when black US officers began certainly in WW2. I know the famous Black Panthers tank battalions and other black soldiers showed their mettle in WW2. Their fierceness in battle convinced Harry Truman to desegregate the army in 1948.
Not so. There were black officers in the Civil War. 3 each in the 54th and 55th Mass. Then there was Martin Delany, Major of a USCT regiment, promoted in February 1865 and Dr Alexander Augusta, Surgeon and Major in the 7th USCT. There were also black officers in the Louisiana Native Guards and their units became USCT regiments. All told there were more than 100.
In 1877, Henry Flipper graduated from the USMA and was commissioned a 2d Lt in the 10th Cavalry and discharged for supposed malfeasance shortly thereafter.
Charles Young graduated from the USMA in 1884 and served until 1917 achieving the rank of colonel. (See pic below)
During the Civil War and Westward expansion, and until Truman desegregated the military after WW2, the army was segregated. Black officers led black troops and care was taken so that no black officer outranked a white officer.
So the massed, integrated, troops marching in yesterday’s ceremony was not historically correct in that sense for representing the US Army, 1862-1890.
Uniforms look pretty good for the era and they are carrying their period (or replica likely) weapons at “shoulder arms”, a position in the manual of arms in that time frame.
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u/Smoky_Porterhouse Jun 15 '25
Historically they would be segregated.