The First Black Combat—9 Months Before "Glory" October 29, 1862. The Battle of Island Mound marked the first time in the American Civil War that Black soldiers engaged in combat. 240 men—former slaves and freedmen—outnumbered six to one, surrounded by 700 Confederate guerrillas on horseback, fought with such ferocity and bravery that both Union officers and enemy soldiers praised their valor. Lieutenant R. Hinton reported that the battle "proved that negroes are splendid soldiers." Even Confeder