On this day in military history (1863), on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, a wartime order that declared enslaved people in Confederate-held territory to be “then, thenceforward, and forever free” and changed the character of the American Civil War.

The proclamation grew out of a deliberate strategy. After the Union tactical victory at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln announced a preliminary proclamation giving the Confederacy 100 days to return to the Union or face the emancipation order. When that deadline passed, the final proclamation took effect at the opening of 1863. Legally confined to places in rebellion and not applying to loyal border states or Union-occupied areas, the order was still a decisive exercise of presidential war powers and a clear signal that the war would also be about ending slavery.

For the military, the Emancipation Proclamation had immediate and lasting consequences. It authorized the enlistment of Black men in the Union armed forces, a policy shift that added manpower at a critical moment. Over the course of the war about 180,000 African American men served in the Union Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy. These troops fought in dozens of battles, sieges, and raids, filling vital roles from garrison duty to front-line assaults.

One of the most well-known units raised after the proclamation was the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, a Black regiment led by white officers that drew volunteers from free Black communities and escaped slaves. The 54th proved its mettle in the assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863. Though the attack failed tactically and the regiment suffered heavy casualties, its courage under fire helped change public perceptions and encouraged further enlistment of Black soldiers.

Individual acts of valor among Black soldiers were numerous and would later be recognized. Sergeant William H. Carney of the 54th Massachusetts became the first African American awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Fort Wagner—he risked his life to save and carry the regimental colors even after being wounded, an act that symbolized dedication and bravery in the face of fierce resistance.

Beyond battlefield contributions, the proclamation shifted international diplomacy. By explicitly tying the Union cause to abolition, it made formal recognition of the Confederacy by Britain or France politically difficult. The document also struck at the Confederate labor system—encouraging escapes, undermining the plantation economy, and compelling Southern leaders to confront the growing number of Union Black troops opposing them.

It is important to remember what the proclamation did not do immediately. It did not free enslaved people in the border states that remained loyal to the Union, nor did it by itself abolish slavery throughout the nation. That legal end would not come until the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified in December 1865. Still, as a military measure and moral declaration, January 1, 1863 marked a turning point: the Union army gained strength, purpose, and a new moral clarity that reshaped the conflict.

The story of the Emancipation Proclamation is also a story of ordinary men who answered the call. Formerly enslaved people who joined the Union armies and free Black Northerners who enlisted did so knowing the risks. Their service advanced both the military objective of preserving the Union and the larger humanitarian goal of ending slavery.

On this day we recall the practical and symbolic impact of January 1, 1863: a wartime order that changed who could fight, altered international politics, and moved the nation toward a broader promise of freedom. Remembering these details honors the sacrifices and hard choices that shaped American military history.

Take a moment today to honor those who served then and to support veterans now—both as a recognition of their service and as a commitment to the principles they helped defend.