Harpers Weekly – Saturday, November 16th, 1867
Historically, some elections have resonated more than others. In 1864 the nation was in the midst of a war, the theology of which still divides us today. President Lincoln the incumbent led the Republican (National Union Party) ticket against his former General, George B McClellan, the Democratic nominee. Many confederates hoped McClellan would cinch the presidential victory while the majority of Federal soldiers saw Lincoln’s reelection as the surest way to a union victory.
Ohio was one of the few states that allowed African American men to vote. Local officials could determine who was allowed to vote. And soldiers were allowed to vote in the field. As the presidential election neared, it weighed heavy on the soldiers minds. African American correspondent for the Philadelphia Press, Thomas Morris Chester reported on the 5th United States Colored Troops voting at Fort Harrison on Election day in 1864. A little less than 200 members were deemed eligible to cast a ballot in that election from the 5th USCT.
Correspondent Chester reported: “The voting of the 5th United States Colored Troops, who came from Ohio, was a little amusing, and attracted much attention from the McClellan men on the other side of the line. The supporters of Little Mac were gathered together in quite a crowd opposite the place of election of the 5th; and it is more than probable they would have come over and given expression to their choice had it not been for the extensive line of armed men to prevent their indulging, in any such luxury. The colored men in front of the 5th were particularly vigilant lest those who had been so intently watching them from early morn should claim their ‘constitutional privilege’ and avail themselves of the opportunity to express their admiration for McClellan.” Chester reported that the 5th USCT cast 194 votes for Lincoln, and 0 for McClellan.
That election would be just as decisive as the efforts of the United States Colored Troops in the battlefields. The members of the 5th USCT had aided in the capture of New Market Heights and Fort Harrison from the Confederates just over a month before casting their votes in an election that could determined the future of the war and emancipation.
The right to vote regardless of racial ancestry was one of the things that the men of the 5th USCT were fighting for. Holding the right of suffrage, an essential aspect of citizenship, was a step closer toward equality, and realizing the promise of the Declaration of Independence and guarantees of the Constitution. It would be four more years before the states ratified an amendment to the Constitution that provided citizenship to all African Americans, and six more years before the Fifteenth Amendment gave the elective franchise to Black men. However, the soldiers of the 5th USCT, and all United States Colored Troops, could claim that their service in the Civil War helped bring about these positive changes that moved the United States in the direction toward a more perfect Union.
From the founding days of the country, the transformative Voting Rights Act of 1965, to the wave of voting reform today, the right to vote in the United States has seen tremendous change. Despite continuous challenges to voting rights thousands continue to march, continue to protest, continue to believe as Rep. John Lewis said “ the vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool or instrument in a democratic society. We must use it.”
