African Americans were fighting for freedom in a segregated and skeptical army against an enemy who offered no quarter and delighted in killing them, all under the microscopic scrutiny of a curious, cross-examining, and judging nation. For African Americans, surrender was not an option. Confederate soldiers were disgusted and appalled at having to fight former slaves in what should have remained a white man’s war, and they exacted harsh retribution on the wounded and captured. African American soldiers suffered sadistic violence at the hands of Confederate soldiers and were singled out for
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