"You Can Whip the Whole World"

In December 1864, Maj. Gen. Quincy Adams Gillmore, pictured here, conducted an inspection of the post at Helena, Arkansas. During his visit, the troops marched in review for him. Two African American regiments, the Fifty-sixth and Sixtieth U.S. Colored Infantries, participated in the event.

An observer, James M. Alexander, watched the soldiers on parade as he stood near an artillery battery. He recalled an incident that occurred at the conclusion of the review. His account appeared in a letter published in the December 31, 1864, edition of The Christian Recorder. "There was an old colored man present, who had recently made his escape from the interior of this State, and who had been a silent spectator of the scene. As the General and his staff rode off, the artillerymen fired a salute. The old man advanced to the soldier nearest him, threw up his arms in amazement, and enthusiastically exclaimed, "Gentlemen, it's no use talking. You can whip the whole world."

I can imagine the old man's excitement, coming out of slavery and seeing others like him marching in precision along the path to freedom.

Photo of Maj. Gen. Gillmore from the Library of Congress.

"Commanded by Black Officers"

On April 11, 1864, J.P. Campbell, Baltimore correspondent for The Christian Recorder, a weekly newspaper distributed to black regiments, wrote about the parade of the Thirty-ninth U.S. Colored Infantry through downtown Baltimore. Of special note is the mention of a black captain, George A. Hackett (1806-1870), a prominent local leader and an activist for African American rights. Hackett was not a member of the Thirty-ninth. It appears he had the honor of riding at the head of the regiment as it marched through the city. This account was published on April 16, 1864:

The 39th Regiment U.S.C.T., had a grand parade on last Thursday. The occasion was, that the Rev. A.W. Wayman, had invited them through Col. Bowman, to his church on that day, to hear a sermon preached for their especial benefit. The Colonel consented to this proposition. They came to Bethel Church, and the sermon was preached by Bro. Wayman. It was well received; and, at the conclusion, a resolution was passed, requesting a copy of the original for publication, to be distributed among the soldiers. the day was pleasant, and hundreds of persons were in attendance upon the occasion. Anxious spectators of both sexes were there, and several gentlemen of the clerical order; among whom, we noticed the Rev. S.H. Chase, an out-spoken advocate for the rights of his race. It would have done your soul good, to have seen our colored Captain, George A. Hackett, mounted upon a white charger, dressed in full military costume, commanding this regiment, marching through the streets of Baltimore, after the heart-cheering notes of a new brigade band, and gazed upon by admiring hosts. They marched, not through the back streets, lanes and alleys, but through the main, the fashionable, and the most aristocratic streets of the city. What a wonderful thing, if not a miracle, to see a regiment of colored soldiers, commanded by black officers, marching through the streets of the city of Baltimore, unmolested by slaveholders and their miserable wretched minions; but so it is, and they cannot prevent it.