Here is a list of soldiers with the surname NANCE that served with the Union in the
Civil War.
There is something notable about this particular group of soldiers. Can you guess what it
is?
A hint: many of these Union soldiers came from states in the South . . .
Rank Rank
Name In Out Unit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nance, Alfred Pvt Pvt Co.D, 1st Battery Artillery
Nance, Archibald Pvt Pvt Co.E, 60th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Byron Pvt Pvt Co.E, 23rd Reg. Infantry
Nance, Byron Pvt Pvt Co.K, 27th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Charles Pvt Pvt Co.K, 27th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Daniel Pvt Pvt Co.H, 1st Battery Artillery
Nance, Edward 2d Sgt Pvt Co.H, 100th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Edward Pvt Pvt Co.D, 1st Battery Artillery
Nance, George Pvt Pvt Co.G, 12th Battery Artillery
Nance, George Pvt Pvt Co.E, 12th Reg. Infantry
Nance, George Pvt Pvt Co.I, 18th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Green Pvt Pvt Co.H, 111th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Harvey Pvt Pvt Co.B, 55th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Henry Pvt Pvt Co.K, 100th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Henry Pvt Pvt Co.D, 9th Battery Artillery
Nance, Jackson Pvt Pvt Co.A, 48th Reg. Infantry
Nance, James Pvt Pvt Co.C, 17th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Jesse Pvt Pvt Co.C, 125th Reg. Infantry
Nance, John Pvt Pvt Co.B, 101st Reg. Infantry
Nance, John Pvt Pvt Co.C, 119th Reg. Infantry
Nance, John Pvt Pvt Co.E, 1st Battery Artillery
Nance, Leftridge Pvt Pvt Co.I, 119th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Lewis Pvt Pvt Co.D, 119th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Lewis Pvt Pvt Co.B, 67th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Milton Pvt Pvt Co.I, 67th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Richard Pvt Pvt Co.C, 1st Battery Artillery
Nance, Richard Musician - Co.C, 17th Reg. Infantry
Nance, Simon Pvt - Co.B, 4th Reg. Cavalry
Nance, Sterling Pvt Corp. Co.E, 1st Battery Artillery
Nance, Webster 1st Lt. Capt. Co.B, 15th Reg. Infantry
Nance, William Pvt Pvt Co.B, 67th Reg. Infantry
Nance, William H. Pvt Pvt Co.H, 111th Reg. Infantry
Can't figure out what these folks had in common? Here's the ANSWER.
They all served in the U. S. Colored Regiments.
The Colored Troops
were composed of African-Americans, both free Negroes of the north and freed slaves from the south. They were commanded by white officers. Thus, in the group of Nances listed above, most were probably African-Americans, while Webster Nance, who entered with a rank of 1st Lieutenenant and left with the rank of Captain, was probably a white officer.
The U. S. Colored Troops
"The Emancipation Proclamation opened the door full-fledged for Blacks to participate in the Civil War. On May 1, 1863, the War Department created the Bureau of Colored Troops in order to handle the recruitment and organization of all black regiments. These units were known as the United States Colored Troops, and all units were commanded by white officers. The widespread knowledge about these all black units of the Civil War came about recently with the popularity of the movie, "GLORY", starring Denzel Washington. Based upon the triumphs and defeats of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, a historical moment was captured in the lives of some unknown American Freedom Fighters. Twenty-four black soldiers were awarded the meritorious Congressional Medals of Honor, and over 200,000 African-Americans served in the U. S. armed forces during the Civil War. 620,000 Americans died in this war. Over 38,000 Blacks died."
The text quoted above is from an article on African-American soldiers in the Civil War, part of a series written by Melvin R. Sylvester to accompany an exhibit in honor of Black History Month in the B.Davis Schwartz Memorial Library at the C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University, Februrary, 1995, and maintained at the website of Long Island University - C.W. Post Campus
Other good articles on the Colored Troops serving in the Civil War:
History of African-Americans in the Civil War, a website maintained by the National Park Service
United State Colored Troops....A Brief History, by Bennie J. McRae, Jr. -- part of the website maintained by Lest We Forget Publications ("Researching, publishing, and disseminating historical and current documents that focus on the history and culture of African-Americans and other groups, their relationships, interactions, and contributions to the development and growth of this country").
(The information on Nances in the U. S. Colored Regiments was obtained by searching for the name "Nance" in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System Name Search. This database includes information about the soldiers and sailors who served the Union in the Colored Regiments).