On June 8, 1863, concerned members of Philadelphia's Union League gathered to listen to a talk by George L. Stearns, an abolitionist and leading figure in the North's efforts to recruit Black soldiers. The Confederate Army was growing closer and closer to the "Birthplace of America", and Stearns emphasized the need for Black citizens to bolster the ranks of the Union Army. His words found purchase with the well-to-do members of the League, who immediately gave their support for the formation of three Black regiments in Pennsylvania. The next challenge was to find qualified white officers to train and lead these troops; the predominant belief was that these new recruits would require leaders of exceptional sensitivity and intelligence because of their lived experience of Southern and Northern racism and oppression.Despite this concern about emotional intelligence, the selection board failed 47% of the applicants for the officer positions because of their lack of a modicum of training in tactics and military logistics. The fix, as the board saw it, was the establishment of the Free Military School for Applicants for Commands of Colored Troops in December 1863. The Free Military School was not meant to mirror West Point, but instead to 'teach to the test' so that applicants who had previously failed the selection board review process would be equipped with the military training necessary for them to pass a second attempt. By March 1864, the School had received 1,691 applications and accepted 843 of the candidates; 422 of those applicants actually attended the school. Although there were some initial successes, the School was shuttered after only a year of existence. The core issue for its dissolution was ongoing drama that centered on Thomas Webster, the chair of the school's Supervisory Committee, and his disagreements with both the War Department and his own Committee members.
Here at Rauner, we have a copy of the pamphlet that was printed in December of 1863 to solicit applications to the Free Military School. The document was written by Thomas Webster and lists the qualifications necessary for application, including the following crystallization of the Selection Committee's core ethos: "No talents, no zeal, no sympathy for the colored race, unless attended with military knowledge, and power to command men in battle, can avail; and no amount of presence or number of testimonials of influential friends will answer the purpose; the applicant must give reasonable evidence of his ability to command."
To see our copy, request Rare E540 .N3 F72 1863 online and then come to Rauner.
