By the end of civil war, there was 179,000 black men (10% of the union army) served as soldiers in the US army and another 19,000 served in the navy.

African-American soldiers

At the beginning of the civil war, African Americans were not allowed to serve in the U.S military. But by the summer of 1862, it was clear that additional troops were needed. To meet the need congress passed two bills that allowed African Americans to serve in the union army.