Interest in black Union soldiers grows in NC

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolinians researching the history of black troops who fought for the Union in the Civil War say they’re seeing more interest in those soldiers.

A Civil War event this weekend at the New Bern Academy Museum will include an event involving re-enactors from both the Confederacy and the U.S. Colored Troops. A grant allowed the re-enactors from the 35th U.S. Colored Troops to get uniforms and be trained on the regiment’s history.

And in Goldsboro, a local research group is planning an encampment and other events for the 135th U.S. Colored Troops in April.

North Carolina has one monument to the African-American soldiers, in Hertford.

Historians estimate that about 180,000 African-Americans fought for the Union, including about 5,000 from North Carolina.a