Military Service and Civil War
The Civil War began the following year, and Stewart decided to fight on the side of the Union. In 1862 he furtively made his way into New Orleans, which had just been captured by the Union Army. He raised several companies for the Union's all-black 1st Louisiana Native Guards Regiment, which was garrisoned in the city. A minority of men were Louisiana Creoles of color, part of the educated class; most were runaway slaves. Commissioned a captain, he was one of the Union Army's few commissioned officers of African-American ancestry. He became Company Commander of Company A, 2nd Louisiana Regiment Native Guard Infantry (later reformed as the 74th US Colored Infantry Regiment). Passed over twice for promotion and tired of the prejudice he encountered from white officers, Stewart resigned his commission in 1863.
At the war's end, he and his wife moved to Alabama, to test their freedom as full citizens. Racial tensions during Reconstruction resulted in shocking levels of violence. Stewart returned with his family to New Orleans.
Read more about this topic: P. B. S. Pinchback
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