There are a number of reasons why Milliken’s Bend should be remembered, but I’ll concentrate on what I believe to be the three most significant historical reasons.

1) Along with Port Hudson and Fort Wagner, Milliken’s Bend was a significant battle during the summer of 1863 in which black Union troops fought, and fought well. These three battles combined forced Northern whites who had been skeptical about the use of black troops to reconsider their notions.

Milliken’s Bend has several distinctions that make it unique when compared to the other two battles.

A) Only at Milliken’s Bend was the Union force composed of a majority of black soldiers

B) Only at Milliken’s Bend were the majority of black troops former slaves

C) Only at Milliken’s Bend were these soldiers brand new, with minimal training. The Louisiana Native Guards at Port Hudson and the 54th Massachusetts at Fort Wagner had been drilled prior to their experience of combat, and were far better organized than the still-recruiting regiments at Milliken’s Bend.

D) Only at Milliken’s Bend could the Union forces claim victory. True, who won at Milliken’s Bend is still a contentious question. But at both Port Hudson and Fort Wagner, the Union assaults, though heroic, were a failure.

All three of these battles went a long, bloody, way to demonstrate, without question, that black troops would fight, and fight valiantly. Though some in the North still objected on principle, and wanted it to remain a “white man’s war” – these battles opened the way for additional, vigorous recruiting, and by the end of the war, around 300,000 African-American men were serving as soldiers in the Union army.

2) The investigations into the deaths of Capt. Corydon Heath and Lt. George Conn, both officers in the “Colored Troops” who had been taken prisoner at Milliken’s Bend, revealed that they had been executed while in the hands of the Confederates at Monroe, Louisiana. Col. Lieb of the 9th Louisiana submitted a formal report of his investigations directly to the Adjutant General’s Office in Washington. It was forwarded to the Secretary of War and to a Congressional investigating committee. This report played a role in the breakdown of prisoner exchanges between the North and South.

3) Milliken’s Bend was also used to promote recruiting among black men. In the North, for instance, Milliken’s Bend and Port Hudson were set in large, bold type on a recruiting poster, along with a taunting headline: “Are Free Men Less Brave Than Slaves?”

Certainly, strictly speaking, in terms of numbers engaged and the strategic outcome of the battle, Milliken’s Bend is a minute footnote. But when viewed from the perspective of its role in the use of African American troops during the war, its significance cannot be ignored.

What happened at Milliken’s Bend should be remembered, as should the greater stories that weave in and out of it. Milliken’s Bend is a mirror and a microcosm, and worth writing, discussion, and further study.