A history of Camp William Penn and its black troops in the Civil War, 1863-1865

The historiography of African American participation in the Civil War is more frequently centered in the southern regions where more than ninety percent of the black population resided during the nineteenth century. Hence, little attention has been paid to the military and home-front experiences of the northern black soldier and his family. The mid-Atlantic region, however, was the most significant cultural and political center of black life outside the South during the nineteenth century. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the geographical center of the region and Camp William Penn was located on the border of the city. Camp William Penn produced eleven infantry regiments and it was the most significant training site for blacks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the slave state of Delaware. Black recruits from many other states also trained at Camp William Penn. Primary sources such as military records, letters, newspapers, dairies, and personal recollections provide the evidence by which the training camp\u27s development, day-to-day operations, and its eventual decline may be reconstructed. More importantly, the sources reveal attitudes and viewpoints of ordinary soldiers and members of the black community. In addition to a strong sense of agency, this evidence reveals the presence of strong working class radicalism and anti-racist activity among black regiments and their community