As to the simple general fact of courage and reliability I think no officer in our camp ever thought of there being any difference between black and white.

And certainly the opinions of these officers, who for years risked their lives every moment on the fidelity of their men, were worth more than those of all the world beside.
No doubt there were reasons why this particular war was an especially favorable test of the colored soldiers.

They had more to fight for than the whites.

Besides the flag and the Union, they had home and wife and child.

They fought with ropes round their necks, and when orders were issued that the officers of colored troops should be put to death on capture, they took a grim satisfaction.