Blacks in the Civil WarIn the early, middle, and late stages of the United States Civil War, black Americans played central roles as soldiers and civilians. At first, people tried hard to get around this fact. Even President Abraham Lincoln's administration sent black volunteers home, knowing that the war was a "white man's war." The policy was ultimately changed not because of humanitarianism but because of the Confederacy's brilliance on the battlefield. The South made it clear to the North that in a real fight they needed all the weapons they could get their hands on. The First Louisiana Native Guards became the first black regiment to receive official government recognition. Union brass had initially prevented blacks from participating in the war. Colonel Robert Shaw and his men of the 54th Massachusetts had to overcome fear, ridicule, and racism before they were allowed to fight. By the end of 1863, several thousand blacks found employment in the Union army. Even though black soldiers were promised $13 a month, they were insulted when they were offered $7 a month. Black soldiers and sailors became indispensable elements in a war that could not have been won without their help. The triumph of the Union forces was due to a number of factors, including Northern technology and the spirit of the times. But the most preeminent factor was the contribution of slaves and freedmen who provided the margin of difference that turned the tide against Confederate forces in 1864 and 1865. According to official records, there were 185,000 black soldiers in the Union Army. Their mortality rate was disproportionately high, 21% of the total number of black soldiers. Union Navy sailors were just as visible and heroic. One in four Union sailors was black. They served on Union ships as coal miners, stewards, boatswain's mates, firemen, and gunners. Additionally, the North was transported by more than 200,000 civilians, most of them freed slaves. They served as spies and scouts. The most notable of all Union spies was a woman named Harriet Tubman..