scene of explosion saturday july 30th alfred r. waud, artist.
on june 2, 1864, regiment moved white house landing part of mg ambrose burnside s ninth corps in mg george meade s army of potomac. men worked laborers until june 28 when accompanied mg philip sheridan s cavalry prince george s court house assigned all-black 4th division commanded bg edward ferrero in trenches before petersburg. time, continued recruit regiment, former slaves virginia , maryland. first action regiment saw @ battle of crater. in battle, white assigned surgeon or other support activities , job acting chaplain comfort wounded , dying soldiers. after battle, 400 men maryland assigned regiment few indiana, , late august regiment considered @ full strength , regimental staff officers authorized. on september 1, 1864, white elected chaplain officers of regiment approved in october; discharged private , mustered in chaplain effective october 25 pay of captain. while in lines before petersburg, white complained of respiratory illness, , had chronic cough rest of life.
in late october, regiment moved poplar grove church, west of petersburg. on november 18, ordered out of line of siege , travel bermuda hundred on james river , assigned provost duty @ army s supply depot @ city point. in december, assigned corps led mg godfrey weitzel. lee retreated richmond on april 2, 1865, , union forces entered on april 4; 28th usci among first regiments enter city , white walked @ head of column. later day white witnessed arrival of abraham lincoln , celebration among people of richmond @ great emancipator . in richmond, white gave speech on broad street. many liberated black people in city searched among black troops relatives, , prominence drew notice crowd , reunited mother, event emotionally recounted in letter christian recorder.
after 3 days in richmond, 28th returned city point , did not accompany army appomattox court house lee surrendered. after lee surrendered, regiment assigned guard prisoners of war processed through city point , guard prison camp @ point lookout in st. mary s county, maryland. lee surrendered on april 9, 1865, @ point white soldiers discharged enlisted 3 years or duration , had volunteered more 3 years before. black soldiers, not allowed enlist until later in war became responsible occupying south. while @ city point, white provided religious counselling private samuel mapp of company d, 10th usct, sentenced die army. white chaplain @ city point, , overwhelmed duties.
newspaper correspondence
white frequent writer of letters, both private , newspaper publication. voice in letters varied , matured wrote. wrote great assertiveness , other times great deference. tension has been compared tension between styles of booker t. washington , w. e. b. du bois @ end of 19th , beginning of 20th century. white wrote paper, christian recorder. in letters, wrote many issues regarding black liberation , black military service. combining themes, argued blacks should liberate through joining union army. advocated enlistment of black units state rather mixing them together. controversially, white wrote blacks in union army should concern equal pay , instead focus on victory , personal improvement. wrote many details of regiment s experience, including emotional description of battle of crater , of fall of richmond, time in texas after war. white believed there difference between blacks free before war , emancipated during war. instance, in letter published in christian recorder after battle of crater, praised performance of black troops raised in free states when compared raised in slave states. white felt education , reduction of illiteracy in these troops improve them.
in late may, regiment sailed texas, arriving in indianola on july 4 , moving corpus christi on august 13 part of general russell s brigade. regiment faced casualties disease in trip, saw less illness once in texas had in virginia, although 17 died of disease in september 1865, in part due poor conditions in hospitals. texas, white continued contribute letters christian recorder, discussed black suffrage. @ demobilization on november 8, 1865, white gave every christian in command certificate of moral , religious standing. after mustering out, regiment sailed new orleans , took riverboat cairo, illinois , train indianapolis. arrived in indianapolis on january 6, 1866.
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