The Emancipation Proclamation stated that African-American men willing to fight "will be received into the armed service of the United States." After the Emancipation Proclamation, blacks rushed to joined the Union Army. At the end of the war, there were nearly 180,000 black soldiers in the Union Army.A significant number of African-American regiments were formed by the end of the war, and participated actively in several battles. African Americans suffered tremendous casualty rates, partly because the South refused to accept them as prisoners; most captured blacks were killed outright. Black Americans also did many non-combat jobs for the military and for industry.
