Isaac's Story

April 1902 Deposition for my third Great Grandfather Isaac Forbes As Civil War veterans, both my Grandfather Isaac and Granduncle Robert earned a pension. In this document, called a deposition, Granddad Isaac provided testimony to prove his eligibility for his pension. In this portion of the deposition, he establishes his identity by explaining that he was enslaved in Camden County, North Carolina by a man named Walter Forbes. This document also demonstrates the way African American families continued to form connected family bonds despite the condition of slavery. Here, Grandfather Isaac introduces me to my 4th Great Grandfather Isaac Humphreys. It is because of Isaac Humphreys' continued relationship with his sons Isaac and Robert Forbes that I was able to learn that Isaac and Robert were indeed brothers. Isaac Humphreys is named here as Isaac's father; he is also named on Robert's death certificate as his father.

After President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed Black men, women, and children enslaved in the rebelling Confederate states, the Union Army decided to recruit willing Black fighters to help win and end the war. In reality, Black men had been wanting to join the war long before the Union allowed it, even those as young as my Granduncle Robert who was 17 when he joined. Black women were eager to support as well. In total, the Union suffered 110,100 fighting casualties and more than quadruple that number when including deaths from such misfortunes as illness and Confederate imprisonment. By 1863, the war was two years old, and many of these Union deaths had already occurred. To add to this, Black men, women, and children were trying desperately to secure their own freedom. When many enslaved people heard that the Union Army had established a fort within the area, they walked, swam, ran, secured wagons- whatever necessary- to get to the fort. They believed that the forts, under Union protection, would provide them the best opportunity for ensuring their freedom. Thousands of these formerly enslaved people began working for the Union in these camps. Many able-bodied Black men moved with the Union forces performing work like cooking and construction. These men desired to make better lives for themselves and, in many cases, for their loved ones too. Many had already expressed the desire to fight for their own freedom. On a national level, Frederick Douglass was advocating that Black men should be allowed to fight for the Union. He wanted Black men to be able to show their ability to perform well, thereby disproving the society-permeated racist beliefs that Black people were inferior to White people. This flyer is an example of the recruitment methods used to encourage Black men to join the war effort. A number of flyers like this were created; notice that this one in particular appeals to free Black men.

This image shows my 3rd Great Grandfather Isaac Forbes enlisting in the 1st Regiment, United States Colored Cavalry on February 17, 1864. Notice that he is in Company F while Granduncle Robert is in Company A. But Granduncle Robert enlisted in December, almost a month earlier? One of the questions that I have had since researching Granddad Isaac's and Granduncle Robert's story is why their enlistment dates do not coincide. I have wondered if they escaped slavery at different times; but that seems unlikely because how would they have been enlisted in the same regiment in the United States Colored Cavalry? It was much rarer for Black men to be enlisted in the cavalry. Most Black men were enlisted into infantry units, so it has been a quest of mine to explore how Robert and Isaac came to be enlisted in the 1st Regiment, United States Colored Cavalry. In one of his depositions, my grandfather says that he had measles while in the war. However, the Army did not have record of that. This may be why his enlistment date is different from his brother, Granduncle Robert, who joined the regiment in December of 1863. If Granddad Isaac was sick when he arrived at Fort Monroe, then it is possible that the Union did not enlist him until he recovered from his illness. I have other theories as well. Reading this form, you can see that Granddad Isaac’s captain was a man with the last name of Schwartz. For his occupation, he was referred to as a servant even though we know that he probably performed a number of jobs while enslaved. He was born in Camden County, North Carolina, just like Robert; he was 5 ft. 6in. with black, wooly hair. Finally, he was only 20 years old when he joined but three years older than his brother Robert when he joined at 17. They were brave young men!

The Great Dismal Swamp, Suffolk, Virginia While I was researching my story about the Great Dismal Swamp (see "Featured Videos"), I learned that thousands of enslaved Africans and their descendants, in an effort to free themselves from enslavement, either ran into the Dismal Swamp to live or, during the Civil War, ran through it to reach freedom from Union soldiers near areas like Deep Creek in Virginia. Those who moved into and through the swamp were enslaved in the different counties and cities that surrounded the swamp in both Virginia and North Carolina. Granddad Isaac and Granduncle Robert were enslaved in Camden County, North Carolina, which is directly situated around the Dismal Swamp Canal as it flows into the Pasquotank River. I am currently exploring the possibility that Robert and Isaac had lived in the Dismal Swamp for some time before joining the Union cavalry. 2nd Lieutenant Frederick Browne of Granddad Isaac’s regiment said in a speech that some of the men who made up the regiment were “… the outlaw negroes, who in slavery times, had been able to maintain their liberty in the swamps of Eastern Virginia and North Carolina.” This statement from Granddad Isaac's 2nd Lieutenant leads me to wonder if Isaac and Robert were specifically recruited because they had chosen to live in the Dismal Swamp instead of living in slavery. Black men and women who chose to make new lives within the harsh, dangerous environment of the Dismal Swamp were highly skilled people, and the Union knew this. Those who lived in the swamp had to be alert, resourceful, and fearless- all skills that cavalrymen needed to have in order to survive the war and help the Union secure victory.

(L) Edward Augustus Wild; (R) Title: Colored Troops, Under General Wild, Liberating Slaves in North Carolina In 1863, this man, anti-slavery Brigadier General Edward Augustus Wild, led a group of African American troops called Wild's African Brigade through the Dismal Swamp and into North Carolina, parts of which included Camden County, North Carolina. He and the troops had a few goals. One was to disrupt any guerilla-styled Confederate fighters, particularly those trying to regain control of the Dismal Swamp Canal. They also wanted to free enslaved people in the region and recruit Black soldiers for the Union fighting forces. The picture on the right depicts African American Union Army soldiers freeing the enslaved people in the area. Reports indicate that the troops freed more than 2,500 enslaved people on that trip. Reports also suggest that they did not recruit many soldiers because most Black men who wanted to join the Union forces had already escaped slavery and joined. The brigade arrived in North Carolina around December 6 and returned back to Norfolk and Portsmouth about two weeks later. Given the date on Granduncle Robert's enlistment (December 21, 1863) and the fact that my Great Grandfather Isaac reported health issues which may have impacted his enlistment date of February 17, 1864, it is very possible that my ancestors were freed and recruited to join the Union cavalry by Wild's African Brigade. There is also evidence to suggest that Isaac and Robert might have joined the 1st North Carolina Colored Volunteers before being transferred to the 1st Regiment, United States Colored Cavalry. Some of their paperwork appears to show that Robert and Isaac were transferred over from a volunteer unit, so they could have joined General Wild in North Carolina and were recruited to join the newly formed cavalry at Fort Monroe in Virginia. But these are all of my theories based on the evidence that I have found so far! I will continue to update this information as I learn more!

Notice this daily schedule for Isaac's Company, 1st Regiment United States Colored Cavalry, Company F. The schedule is dated December 26, 1863, so we know that Isaac was not part of the company yet. However, this training schedule would probably resemble the one Isaac would have had to follow. Cavalrymen were trained to care for their horses; they had to be able to move stealthily because a cavalryman's job was to scout enemy territory and provide intelligence back to their leaders. When Isaac officially joined the regiment in February this schedule is indicative of one that he would have had to follow in order for him to learn how to perform his job well. On a separate note, notice that "dinner" was served at 12:30 pm!

Early into his enlistment as a cavalryman, Isaac somehow lost his gun, and the United States government charged him to replace it! Examine the document. This muster roll tells us that while on assignment, Isaac engaged in some activity, probably a battle or skirmish, that caused him to lose his gun. Notice that Isaac was stationed around the Battlefield in Petersburg, Virginia at the very beginning of General Ulysses S. Grant's Siege of Petersburg. This was the very beginning of the longest siege in United States military history! It would start at exactly the time that Isaac was stationed there. General Grant believed that he would be able to take this region near the Confederate capitol of Richmond quickly, but this did not happen. The battles and skirmishes were bloody and long. It's no wonder that Isaac lost his gun. Consider: He was 20 years old and less than a year out of enslavement, and his only recourse for his and his brother's and his father's freedom was to ride on that horse and engage in war. Look at the soldier in the image and imagine him on a horse! The 2nd Lieutenant of Isaac's and Robert's regiment was a man named Frederick Browne. He gave a speech in the early 1900s in which he talked about the life of cavalrymen in the 1st Regiment, United States Colored Cavalry. Isaac, Robert, and their fellow cavalrymen were the eyes and ears of the Army. They went ahead of the infantry to scout, and when they returned, they let the leaders know what they had observed; they told them where the Confederates were hiding, and they provided other pertinent information about the conditions that the soldiers might face if they charged ahead. Often, cavalrymen took live fire from Confederate soldiers hiding along pathways amongst dense woods and thicket. You have to understand that the Confederacy swore to kill Black men on sight. There was no leniency for them. The Confederates considered Black men escaped property whether they were free or not, and they, by law, set out to murder the Black soldiers who were fighting for the Union. If the Confederates did not choose to kill the Black soldiers, they surely would return them to enslavement. So, when Isaac, Robert, and the other Black cavalrymen rode on their horses holding their guns looking for Confederate soldiers, you have to know that they were risking their lives, and they knew it! According to the Library of Congress, the soldier in the picture is holding a Remington revolver. According to the documents shown here, Isaac lost a Colt Army pistol. Still, the picture of this soldier gives us an idea about what Isaac had to maneuver while on horseback.

Here we see Isaac's attendance on the January/February 1864 company muster roll. The muster roll also indicates that Isaac is due payment from his enlistment date in February. Isaac and Robert, like most Black Union soldiers, understood that the compensation that they would receive as United States soldiers would clearly change their economic status. Just days or months out of slavery, the opportunity to fight for the Union was also an opportunity to fight for themselves and their loved ones. Under slavery, any money an enslaved person earned could really be owned by the slave owner; if the slave owner allowed an enslaved person to earn money, then the enslaved person could earn the money, but if the slaveowner refused, then the enslaved person could not. As always, many enslaved people found ways around this condition, but the fact remains that Black people could not completely control their choices. They had to react to the condition of slavery. So, Black Union soldiers understood that in fighting to support the Union, they were also fighting to secure their own economic freedom! Still, once enrolled, Black Union soldiers learned that the United States government would not pay them at the same rate that they paid White Union soldiers. White soldiers were paid at a rate of $13 monthly. Black Union soldiers were paid at a rate of $10 monthly minus a $3 monthly clothing allowance deduction. White Union soldiers were not charged a clothing allowance. Just for comparison, let's look at the wage disparity. Let's say a White Union soldier enlisted at the same time as Robert and Isaac, and let's assume that the White soldier remained enlisted through the end of the war, which roughly equals to 24 months of service. See the comparison below: White Union soldier: $13 x 24 months= $312 compensation at the end of the war, an additional $154 more than a Black Union soldier Black Union soldier: $ 7 x 24 months= $168 compensation by the end of the war. Black soldiers and a number of White officers did not think this pay discrepancy was fair. The 54th Massachusetts Regiment refused to accept their pay for 18 months! They decided that if they were not receiving equal pay, they would not accept payment at all. And they still continued training and fight as fiercely as they could. General Benjamin Butler, who had been in charge at Fort Monroe and declared contraband free once they made it to the fort, is an example of one of the White officers who suggested that Black soldiers receive equal pay. Eventually, the government changed the rule and paid Black soldiers retroactively at the rate of $13 monthly.

In the lower-left image, you see an African American soldier cooking a meal for the troops. Notice the disarray of war around him as he tries to complete the normal task of cooking. According to the Library of Congress, this picture was taken in City Point, Virginia (now named Hopewell), which is roughly eight miles from Petersburg and 23 miles from Richmond. In the map to the upper left, you see a close-up view of City Point where General Grant's cabin was located. One of the reasons that Grant chose this location was because it provided access to the James River, which provided the Union with the ability to transport soldiers, supplies, weapons, and the like. The map on the right shows you the most critical reason that Grant chose to use City Point as a port. Richmond, Virginia was the capitol of the Confederacy, so General Grant and other Union leaders determined that they could defeat the Confederate Army by storming through the city of Petersburg and moving north to capture Richmond. Grant thought that this siege would happen quickly, but it took them almost a year, 292 days to be exact, to accomplish the mission. Isaac witnessed some horrible events while stationed in this area. African American infantry troops suffered disproportionate losses when they engaged in the Battle of the Crater in July of 1864. In his deposition, Isaac mentions that while in City Point, one man from his regiment shot another man from his regiment and killed him. Frederick Browne mentions this incident as well, but as a captain, he was able to explain that Union leaders required Isaac, Robert, and the rest of the regiment to watch the Union leaders hang the shooter because they wanted to be sure that the regiment knew that that behavior was not acceptable. Frederick Browne indicates that the White Union officers definitively made decisions like this out of fear of the Black men. Racist stereotypes about Black and Native American men pervaded the Union Army just as they did the Confederacy. Isaac's responses in his deposition were largely factual and general, but he mentioned this event in particular. Frederick Browne said that the hanging was intentionally gruesome. Isaac definitely remembered it for the rest of his life.

Richmond, Virginia, the capitol of the Confederacy, finally fell to Union forces in early April 1865. Some sources say April 2, 1865, while some say April 3, 1865. Whether April 2 or 3, the results remain the same: After four grueling years of battle, Union forces finally gained a clear advantage over the Confederacy. Confederate General Robert E. Lee would surrender to General Grant in just a few days in June of 1865. This image shows Richmond on fire; this is because Confederate soldiers decided to set fires to specific buildings and structures to keep the Union from obtaining Confederate supplies. The fires spread out of control and burned large parts of the city. At this time, Robert and Isaac were assigned to support war efforts in areas like Newport News, and Portsmouth, Virginia. They returned to City Point, Virginia in June of 1865 before being sent to

On Feruary 4, 1866, Isaac mustered out of the military from Brazos Santiago, Texas. The United States foresaw the possibility of war with Mexico, and so they sent Isaac's and Robert's regiment there so that United States troops would already be on the ground. My Granddad Isaac says that they arrived in Texas on July 4, 1865, and they remained there until February 4, 1866. Granddad Isacc was 22, and Granduncle Robert was 19.

This is a picture of the 9th Cavalry regiment known as the Buffalo Soldiers. They were stationed at Fort Hood in Texas in 1867, so Isaac and Robert were amongst the very first Buffalo Soldiers- cavalrymen for the United States military serving and protecting in all-Black regiments,