In 1862, before the Emancipation Proclamation, the Union Army did not yet enlist black men as soldiers. But black men served in noncombatant roles throughout the military: as laborers, mule drivers, horse handlers, cooks, and servants. Many of them were free men from the North, but many were escaping from slavery in the South. This talk will tell the stories of some of these men who were present in units that fought at Antietam, including a few who came from Washington County. What do we know about these black noncombatants? What was life like for them, and what dangers did they face?