1863 - Confederacy Declares Black Union Soldiers Criminals

On May 1, 1863, the Confederate Congress passed a chilling resolution declaring that Black Union soldiers and their white officers would not be granted the protections of lawful combatants. Instead, Black troops were to be treated as “incendiaries” and enslaved or executed upon capture. White officers leading them could be punished as criminals. This policy effectively doomed Black soldiers—many of whom were formerly enslaved—to death or re-enslavement if captured.

The resolution was a brutal response to the growing presence of African American regiments like the United States Colored Troops (USCT), whose bravery and military discipline challenged Confederate ideology and added manpower to the Union cause. The order sparked outrage in the North and led to retaliatory threats from President Lincoln, who demanded equal treatment for all Union prisoners of war.