Black Nouveau

(upbeat music) - Actually, I'm getting kinda nostalgic.

(chuckling) (light music) I grew up in the late '50s and '60s, the John Wayne era, you know, and all the war movies and whatnot on TV, so yeah, I really did want to be a soldier.

- [Narrator] Rickey Townsell always dreamed of serving his country.

- I was in Wisconsin Army National Guard for 19 years.

- [Narrator] But when health issues got in the way, he got creative in his approach.

- This is the frock coat.

There are two different types of coats that you'll see on Union troops.

When I found out about the reenactment unit, it was like, what's the term?

It was like a surrogate, you know.

(chuckling) It took the place of my active military stuff.

This is the standard weapon of a soldier in the army during the Civil War.

- [Narrator] Townsell is a First Sergeant of Company F, of the 29th Infantry US Colored Troops, a reenactment group dedicated to sharing the stories of the only African American Civil War unit credited to Wisconsin.

- And it wasn't unusual for soldiers mustering out to have their photos taken, especially if they had their spouse with them, as a memento of their service.

And one interesting thing is we're not smiling.

Rarely will you find a picture from the 19th century where the person is smiling.

(solemn music) - [Narrator] Nationwide, United States Colored Troops made up nearly 10% of the Union Army, although they were banned from joining until 15 months into the war.

Company F 29th United States Colored Troops was composed primarily of black soldiers who volunteered to serve in place of white residents.

- After the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, it became legal for black people to join the military.

And every state in the union, most of them wanted to have their own colored regiment.

There wasn't enough blacks in Wisconsin, and Illinois, and surrounding states to form a regiment, so what they did was they federalized the 29th Illinois, which was a state unit, and they made it the 29th United States Colored Troops, which meant they were able to recruit from Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and other surrounding states.

So the regiment had been formed with the exception of Company F. And 75 black men from Milwaukee answered the call to go to Quincy, Illinois, and we formed the nucleus of Company F. - Forward, march.

- [Rickey] What we do is a part of not only history, you know, American history, but Milwaukee's history.

- [Jack] Company, halt.

- The more and more I found out about this unit, the more I felt it was our responsibility to let other, not just black people, but let everybody know about the role that the 29th, that Company F, folks from Wisconsin, black people from Wisconsin played in the Civil War.

- Left shoulder, shift.

- [Narrator] The group gives a new meaning to living history, or should I say reliving.

- Forward, march.

- We have to be period correct.

We call 'em the period police, (chuckling) okay?

It is their job, when we take part in an encampment, they go around to make sure that every encampment is period correct.

Now, there is no plastic bottles showing, no soda cans.

- When we went to the battles, that was interesting, 'cause the first couple times we went, the white troops really wasn't, they didn't take too well to us being a black unit.

But we carried on.

We overcame that.

- [Narrator] And the group isn't just for men.

- I portray one of the ladies that when the war broke out and the men left the plantation, well, the women followed the men.

They packed up their homes, put 'em in wagons, and they followed behind the men, 'bout a mile behind.

- [Jack] Right face, shift.

- [Narrator] And although the group has shrunk in size.

- We just don't have enough participation.

We don't have enough men to do this, and we need younger men.

Order, eyes.

- [Narrator] The history of the 29th Infantry is as important now as it was all those centuries ago.

- I made a vow to myself that I'm gonna continue to do this as long as I can, as long as I continue to move about.

And we're bringing young people in as fast as we can, you know, so.

But if we were no longer, then I fear nobody would know about those 75 black men that went Quincy, Illinois to fight for freedom.

(solemn music)