Garfield Hackett: The Unsung Hero of Rhode Island’s Black Civil War Regiment
The tapestry of American history is woven with countless threads, some brilliantly colored and prominently displayed, others faded and tucked just beneath the surface. To pull on one of these threads is often to unravel a story that challenges our understanding of the past. The name Garfield Hackett is one such thread. He was not a general who shaped grand strategy, nor a politician who penned momentous legislation. Instead, his life offers a more profound, human-scale look at the struggle for freedom, citizenship, and dignity in 19th-century America. His story is one of quiet courage, relentless perseverance, and the foundational role that Black soldiers and community leaders played in forging the nation we know today, a narrative that remains critically relevant. This is the comprehensive account of Garfield Hackett—his journey from enslavement to soldier to esteemed civic figure in Rhode Island.
The Historical Context of Pre-Civil War Rhode Island
To understand the significance of Garfield Hackett’s life, one must first grasp the complex environment of Rhode Island in the antebellum era. While the state was founded on principles of religious freedom and had a strong abolitionist movement centered in Providence and Newport, it was also deeply complicit in the transatlantic slave trade. This created a society of stark contradictions, where free Black communities thrived and built impressive institutions, yet faced pervasive racism and legal limitations. It was into this world of constrained opportunity and simmering conflict that Hackett was born, a setting that would shape his entire life’s trajectory and his eventual decision to fight for a Union that had not yet fully recognized his humanity.
The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 presented a profound dilemma for Northern free Black men. They recognized the war as a crusade against the slave power of the Confederacy, yet they were initially barred from enlisting by a federal government wary of alienating the border states. This policy was a bitter pill for those eager to prove their patriotism and claim the rights of full citizenship through military service. In Rhode Island, prominent Black leaders and white allies began an immediate and forceful campaign, petitioning the state government and the War Department to allow the formation of a Colored Regiment, arguing that it was both a moral and strategic necessity to harness the power of Black soldiers.
Early Life and the Path to Enlistment
The precise details of Garfield Hackett’s birth and early years are, like those of many African Americans of his time, obscured by the scant records kept for Black lives. It is believed he was born around 1840, possibly in Massachusetts, but he was living in Providence’s vibrant hardscrabble Fox Point neighborhood by the 1850s. This waterfront district was home to a mixed community of Black families, Cape Verdean immigrants, and Irish laborers, a place where Hackett would have learned the trades of seafaring and cooperage. These skills were essential for economic survival, but they also point to a life of discipline and physical fortitude, qualities that would soon be tested on the battlefield.
When Rhode Island finally received authorization to raise a Black regiment in 1863, the response from the community was immediate and powerful. For men like Garfield Hackett, enlistment was not merely a response to a recruiting poster; it was a deliberate, political act. By volunteering, he and his comrades were seizing the opportunity to directly confront the institution of slavery and to assert their claim to American identity. They understood that their performance as soldiers would be scrutinized not just for military effectiveness, but as a test of the entire Black race’s capability for freedom and self-governance, a heavy burden to carry onto the field of battle.
The 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored)
The unit that Garfield Hackett joined was officially designated the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored), though it was later renamed the 11th United States Colored Heavy Artillery. The “Heavy Artillery” designation meant they were initially trained to man the large, fixed cannons defending coastal fortifications, a critical but often less glamorous role than the infantry. The regiment was organized at a training camp in Portsmouth Grove, Rhode Island, a place that quickly became a symbol of pride and a gathering point for the state’s Black population. The formation of this regiment was a watershed moment, a tangible symbol of shifting federal policy and the Emancipation Proclamation’s promise.
Life for a soldier in the 14th R.I. was defined by rigorous training, military discipline, and the constant shadow of racial injustice. Despite wearing the same Union blue as white troops, Black soldiers faced a significant pay disparity, receiving only $7 per month compared to the $13 paid to white privates. This overt discrimination, coupled with the constant threat of violence from a Confederate government that threatened to enslave or execute captured Black soldiers, forged an incredible unit cohesion. The men of the 14th R.I., including Private Garfield Hackett, were bound together not just by military command, but by a shared purpose and a collective determination to prove their worth.
Garrison Duty in Louisiana and Texas
In December of 1863, the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery received its orders for deployment. They were not sent to the familiar forests of Virginia, but to the deep South, arriving in New Orleans and eventually being stationed at various posts across Louisiana and Texas. Their primary mission was garrison duty, guarding key strategic points along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast. This work was essential for securing Union supply lines and preventing Confederate incursions, but it was also grueling. The soldiers contended with a harsh, unfamiliar climate, tropical diseases like malaria and dysentery, and the relentless humidity, all of which proved deadlier than Confederate bullets for many units.
The experience of being a Black soldier from the North in the heart of the former Confederacy was complex and often dangerous. While they were there as liberators, they faced hostility not only from the local white population but also from some Union officers who held deep-seated racial prejudices. Despite this, their presence was a beacon of hope for the thousands of newly freed African Americans who flocked to Union lines. The soldiers of the 14th R.I. witnessed the brutal realities of slavery firsthand and became active participants in the early, chaotic days of Reconstruction, often protecting freedpeople from violence and helping to establish order.
The Battle of Milliken’s Bend and Military Significance
While the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery was primarily an artillery unit, the war often had different plans. Some companies of the regiment found themselves drawn into one of the most significant, yet often overlooked, engagements involving Black troops: the Battle of Milliken’s Bend. This June 1863 battle in Louisiana was a vicious, close-quarters combat where largely untrained Black regiments, fighting with inferior weapons, stood their ground against Confederate veterans. The fighting was so brutal it devolved into a bloody hand-to-hand struggle. The Union victory, achieved at a high cost, became a powerful propaganda tool, proving the ferocity and reliability of Black soldiers in combat.
The performance of Black troops at Milliken’s Bend and other battles had a seismic impact on the war effort and national opinion. As Frederick Douglass famously argued, “Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.” This sentiment echoed the very reason men like Garfield Hackett had enlisted. Their courage under fire began to shift perceptions in the White House and in the Northern press, directly contributing to the wider acceptance of Black soldiers and the ultimate Union victory.
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Return to Rhode Island and Post-War Life
The war finally ended in the spring of 1865, and the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery was mustered out of service in October of that year. Garfield Hackett returned to Providence, a veteran who had seen a part of the country and a dimension of its conflict that most Northerners could only imagine. He came back to a community that revered its Black soldiers but to a state and a nation that were still deeply divided on the question of race. The immediate post-war years were a period of hope and uncertainty, a time when the rights of African Americans were being debated at the highest levels of government, yet often violently opposed on the streets.
Hackett did not rest on his laurels. He seamlessly transitioned from soldier to civic leader, leveraging the respect he had earned through his service. He returned to his work as a cooper, a skilled trade, and became a prominent figure in Providence’s Black community. He married, started a family, and bought property, establishing a stable, respectable life—an act of normalcy that was, in itself, a political statement of achievement and belonging. His home became a fixture in the Fox Point neighborhood, a testament to a man building a future from the hard-won freedoms of the past.
Political Advocacy and the Fight for Voting Rights
The fight for Garfield Hackett was not over when he took off his uniform. The central political battle in Rhode Island during Reconstruction was for the voting rights of Black men. While the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would eventually prohibit racial discrimination in voting, Rhode Island had its own state-level battle. A state constitutional convention was called, and a clause was proposed that would have effectively continued to bar Black men from the polls. Hackett, understanding that the ballot was the next crucial front in the struggle for full citizenship, threw himself into the political fray with the same determination he had shown as a soldier.
In a powerful and historic act, Garfield Hackett helped organize and lead a delegation of Black veterans and community leaders to the state constitutional convention. They presented a petition demanding their rights as citizens and as men who had defended the Union. This was a bold move, directly challenging the white political establishment. While the initial effort failed and the discriminatory clause passed, the activism of Hackett and his colleagues laid the groundwork for its eventual repeal just a few years later. His political advocacy demonstrated a sophisticated understanding that legal freedom required political power to be made complete.
Community Leadership and Lasting Legacy
Beyond the political arena, Garfield Hackett dedicated his life to building up the institutions that would sustain and elevate Providence’s Black population. He was a deeply religious man and a devoted member of the Congdon Street Baptist Church, one of the oldest and most important Black churches in the state. The church served not only as a spiritual center but also as a hub for education, social welfare, and political organizing. Hackett’s leadership within this institution provided a stable foundation for community resilience, offering support and a sense of shared purpose in the face of ongoing social and economic marginalization.
The legacy of Garfield Hackett is not one of grand monuments or widespread fame. It is a quieter, more enduring legacy woven into the civic fabric of Rhode Island. He lived until 1900, long enough to see the hopeful promises of Reconstruction give way to the grim realities of Jim Crow, even in the North. Yet, he persevered. His life stands as a powerful narrative arc: from a marginalized youth, to a soldier who helped save the Union, to a citizen who fought for and exercised his hard-won rights. He represents the thousands of Black veterans whose post-war contributions built the foundations of modern Black communities, proving that heroism is not confined to the battlefield.
Garfield Hackett in the Broader Narrative of Black Military Service
To view Garfield Hackett solely as an individual is to miss the greater significance of his story. He was one thread in a vast tapestry of nearly 200,000 Black soldiers and sailors who served in the United States military during the Civil War. Their collective service was the single most important factor in convincing a skeptical white public of African Americans’ fitness for citizenship. The story of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) is a foundational American epic of liberation, and Hackett’s experience with the 14th R.I. is a critical chapter in that larger history, reflecting the shared struggles and triumphs of these men.
The service of the USCT also fundamentally altered the war’s purpose. What began for the North as a war to preserve the Union became, irrevocably, a war to end slavery. The courage of Black men in blue made it impossible to ignore the central moral issue of the conflict. After the war, these veterans formed a leadership class throughout the South and the North, becoming politicians, ministers, teachers, and community advocates. They were the living embodiment of the “new birth of freedom” that Lincoln invoked at Gettysburg, and their fight for equality, a fight that Garfield Hackett continued at home, established the template for the civil rights struggles of the twentieth century.
Common Misconceptions About Black Civil War Soldiers
A pervasive misconception is that Black soldiers were passive recipients of freedom, handed to them by the Emancipation Proclamation and defended for them by white soldiers. The truth, as exemplified by Garfield Hackett, is the exact opposite. Black men actively pressured the government for the right to fight, seeing military service as the pathway to claiming their freedom and rights. They were agents of their own liberation. Their insistence on enlisting transformed the war and accelerated the timeline for emancipation, forcing a reluctant administration to confront the logical conclusion of its own rhetoric.
Another common error is the belief that Black regiments saw little to no combat and were relegated solely to manual labor. While it is true that they were often given fatiguing and unglamorous duties like digging trenches and building fortifications—work essential to any army’s function—they also fought in over 400 engagements. The narrative of the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, with its potential involvement in actions like Milliken’s Bend and its constant readiness for combat, directly counters this myth. The following table contrasts these common myths with the documented realities of the United States Colored Troops’ experience.
| Common Misconception | Historical Reality |
|---|---|
| Passive Recipients of Freedom | Active agents who lobbied to fight, seeing service as a claim to citizenship and a direct blow against slavery. |
| Limited to Labor Duty | Fought in hundreds of battles and skirmishes; their labor was critical, but their combat record was proven and celebrated. |
| Fought Only for the North | Included many men who had escaped from Southern states, making them literally fighting for the liberation of their own families and communities. |
| Were Led Only by White Officers | While most senior officers were white, some Black men earned commissions as junior officers, a groundbreaking achievement for the era. |
| Their Service Was Universally Praised | Faced extreme prejudice from parts of the Union army and public; their valor was a hard-won recognition forced upon a skeptical nation. |
The Importance of Local History and Genealogy
The recovery of stories like that of Garfield Hackett is a testament to the power of local history and genealogical research. For decades, his name was known only to a handful of specialists and community historians in Rhode Island. It was through the painstaking work of digging through military pension records, city directories, census data, and church archives that his full life story began to emerge. This granular work is essential for correcting the broad-stroke narratives of history, ensuring that the contributions of ordinary people—whose lives are the true bedrock of the past—are not forgotten.
Engaging with this level of history does more than just fill in gaps; it creates a more nuanced and democratic understanding of our shared past. When we uncover the life of a man like Hackett, we are not just learning about one soldier; we are learning about the entire Black community of Fox Point, the political dynamics of post-war Providence, and the long-term legacy of Black military service. It makes history tangible and personal, connecting us directly to the struggles and achievements of those who came before. As one historian of Rhode Island’s Black heritage noted, “The story of Garfield Hackett is a reminder that history happens on street corners we walk past every day, not just on distant battlefields or in presidential mansions.”
Conclusion
The journey of Garfield Hackett from the docks of Providence to the garrison forts of Louisiana and back to the political halls of Rhode Island is a powerful American story. It encapsulates the dual struggle for national unity and human freedom that defined the Civil War era. He was not a famous man in his time, but his life was one of profound significance—a life of service, principle, and unwavering commitment to his community. By choosing to enlist, he helped redefine the meaning of the war. By fighting for the vote, he helped redefine the meaning of citizenship. And by building a life of purpose and dignity, he helped redefine the possibilities for Black Americans in the fraught decades after emancipation. To remember Garfield Hackett is to honor the quiet, persistent courage that truly forges a more perfect union.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Garfield Hackett and why is he important?
Garfield Hackett was a African American soldier who served in the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery during the Civil War. His importance lies in his embodiment of the Black struggle for freedom and citizenship; he fought for the Union and later became a prominent civic leader in Providence, actively campaigning for voting rights for Black men in Rhode Island.
What military unit did Garfield Hackett serve in?
He served in the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored), which was later renamed the 11th United States Colored Heavy Artillery. This regiment was composed primarily of African American soldiers from Rhode Island and Massachusetts and performed critical garrison duty in Louisiana and Texas during the war.
What did Garfield Hackett do after the Civil War?
After the war, Garfield Hackett returned to Providence, Rhode Island, where he worked as a cooper and became a respected community leader. He was deeply involved in the Congdon Street Baptist Church and was a central figure in the political fight to remove racial barriers to voting in the state’s constitution, advocating for the rights of Black veterans and citizens.
How did Black soldiers like Hackett change the Civil War?
Black soldiers like Garfield Hackett fundamentally transformed the Civil War by giving the Union a crucial new source of manpower and, more importantly, by making the destruction of slavery a direct war aim. Their proven courage in battles like Milliken’s Bend helped shift public opinion in the North and demonstrated the fitness of African Americans for full citizenship, altering the course of American history.
Where can I learn more about Garfield Hackett and his regiment?
Information on Garfield Hackett and the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery can be found in state archives, including the Rhode Island State Archives and the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society. Military pension records, census data, and local Providence historical collections are also valuable resources for piecing together his life and service.
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