“Worse than a Rebel”: Racial Perceptions of Michigan’s Civil War Soldiers

"Worse than a Rebel": Racial Perceptions of Michigan's Civil War Soldiers Travis Faustin (bio) On January 14, 1862, John Bebee of Clinton County, Michigan, wrote a letter to his brother Nelson.1 Both Bebee brothers were enlisted men; John was an infantryman in the Fifth Michigan Volunteer Infantry and Nelson was a member of the Fourth Michigan Cavalry. John's letter to his brother began ordinarily enough for Civil War correspondence. Writing from St. Joseph's Hospital in Central Park, New York, John relayed to Nelson that his health was improving and he hoped Nelson never witnessed as hard of times as John had while soldiering. John then bluntly insisted that Nelson "must kill every damn niger that he gets a chance to" before informing him that "the folks were well when they wrote."2 Unfortunately, Nelson's reply to John's racially charged line did not survive in the archival record. One would hope the statement was some kind of dark humor and not an actual request for his brother to murder innocent freedpeople. However, even if interpreted as "humor" the question remains why the murder of African Americans would have been amusing to the two Michigan brothers. Historians can read Bebee's racist statement as just that: a racist remark. But what did he really mean? Had he, himself, perpetrated violence against African Americans and now encouraged his brother to do the same? Although there is no evidence to prove this, his statement suggested he would not be opposed to it, which calls into question his own racial perceptions. Based on the actions of other Michigan soldiers, the perpetration of violence and harassment against African Americans was not uncommon; in fact, such prejudice and racism seethed from the pages of letters and diaries written by Michigan soldiers during the Civil War. It is estimated that over 90,000 Michiganders enlisted during the war, which equated to just under 25% of the state's male population at the time.3 Of these End Page 29 90,000 men, we can assume that most, if not all of them, wrote letters back home to their families.4 Although it is unknown how many of these letters made their way into the archival record, the ones that did can give modern historians a glimpse into the minds of Michigan's Civil War soldiers. This study utilizes letters from thirteen unique letter collections in an effort to piece together the racial perceptions and attitudes of Michigan soldiers during the American Civil War. This study is neither all-encompassing or representative of the whole population of Union soldiers. It is, however, an entry point for further study on the racial attitudes of Michiganders in the mid-nineteenth century. Analyzing the racial perceptions and attitudes of Michigan soldiers during the Civil War is crucial to forming a more accurate narrative of Michigan's racial history during the conflict. The Michigan men who enlisted to fight for the Union came from a state where, as popular history proclaims, abolitionist sentiments were prominently featured in society. Despite coming from Michigan, however, the evidence suggests that a majority of Civil War soldiers from the state still thought of freedpeople in prejudicial and racist terms. Few of the Michigan soldiers highlighted here thought positively about the various African Americans they came into contact with, and even fewer went out of their way to assist freedpeople. Bebee's statement was only part of what appears to have been a trend among other Michigan soldiers. Amid the discussions of camp life, politics, and battles, their writings hint at their attitudes and interactions in regards to freedpeople. Bebee's call to violence signaled his attitudes toward African Americans. Solely from that remark, one can only imagine the injustices freedpeople may have endured when they came into contact with him. However, in Bebee's case there is no way for historians to know for sure; any such events or interactions are not recorded in the historical record, and can therefore only be considered potential historical events that may have had a negative impact on freedpeople. Nevertheless, uncovering evidence of the racial perceptions of Michigan Civil War soldiers still offers a clearer...