Juneteenth: 5 Civil War battles that black Union soldiers played a key role

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Milliken’s Bend – June 7, 1863

The June 1863 American Civil War battle of Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, in which newly recruited African American Union troops fended off a Confederate attack. | Wikimedia Commons

One of the first actions during the American Civil War to feature black soldiers, the battle of Milliken’s Bend, took place in Louisiana as part of Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s campaign to conquer the Mississippi River.

Milliken’s Bend was one of the camps that helped keep Grant’s Army supplied, and was garrisoned by newly freed slaves who had had minimal military training.

“On June 7, the Texas Division under [Confederate] Maj. Gen. John G. Walker attacked the garrison at Milliken’s Bend, commanded by [Union] Col. Hermann Lieb. Hand-to-hand combat ensued as the Rebels breached the Union defenses,” recounted the American Battlefield Trust.

“Lieb’s former slaves, with little training, fought valiantly against their attackers. Two Navy gunboats supported the infantry, and after heavy fighting Walker’s Texans withdrew. Although a small battle, the result proved that black Union soldiers would fight hard for their freedom.”