GDG- Blacks at Gettysburg

[Bob Huddleston]

In August 1863 there were 571 “Colored persons employed in public and
private capacity” in the Cavalry Corps Army of the Potomac.

If we use the July 1 strength figures of Busey and Martin, we find that the
Cavalry Corps then had 15,562 officers and men. One contraband to every 27 ½
men.

Multiplying form Busey and Martin’s figures, the Army of the Potomac had
112,735 officers and men, which would calculate to 4,137 contrabands.

The smaller Army of Northern Virginia had 80,025 officers and men. Making
the same division, we come up with 2,936. Let us assume that the Yankee
cavalry corps had half the per capita number of African-Americans serving
them as their Rebel counterparts had, and we have 5,872 blacks.

Take care,

Bob

Judy and Bob Huddleston
10643 Sperry Street
Northglenn, CO  80234-3612
huddleston.r at comcast.net

"The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane."
---Mark Twain, 1907


-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]
On Behalf Of cameron2 at optonline.net
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 10:09 AM
To: GDG
Subject: Re: RE: GDG- Blacks at Gettysburg

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


Back to Tom's question as to if there is any know count of the number of
blacks with the AOP, I've never seen one.  But there are enough references
in various acounts to black servants - not only officers, but sometimes
company enlisted men chipping in to hire someone to do the cooking - that
given how long the AOP had spend in an area where such "help" was easy to
find and hire at very nominal cost, I wouldn't be surprised if the number
was fairly substantial.  I think it's just that these people was almost all
unofficial, and unrecorded, and therefore now somewhat lost to history.  
 
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