In the years before the Civil War, the national turmoil over slavery
profoundly disturbed Delawareans. Caught between the extremes of northern abolitionist,
pro-Union sentiment and southern support for slavery and states' rights, Delaware
politicians walked a tightrope. Delaware politics was dominated by conservative
Democrats who supported the southern rationale that each state should
determine whether to support or outlaw slavery within its own boundaries. Yet most
Delawareans opposed secession and wanted to preserve the Union.
After the Civil War broke out in 1861, Delaware remained loyal to the
Union and resisted proposals to join the Confederacy. The majority of Delawareans
believed that the preservation of the Union was a cause worth fighting for. Black
Delawareans, both freedman and slaves, fought in the Union army, segregated into all-black
regiments. By 1865 official government documents listed 13,670 troops from Delaware,
954 of which were "colored".
Delaware in the Civil War Exhibit
website
