ManyblacksoldiersfoughtintheUnionArmyduringtheAmericanCivilWar.TheyoftenfacedextremeprejudicenotonlyfromthewhitesoldiersbutalsofromthewhitepopulationofNortherncities.Themostfamousblackregiment,the54thMassachusetts,foughtheroicallyduringthesiegeofFortWagnerin1863andsufferedheavycasualties.OneoftheblacksoldierswoundedwasFirstSergeantRobertSimmons,whosearmwasshatteredbyaballfromaConfederaterifle.
Fortunately,SimmonscouldnothaveknownthatonlythreedaysbeforetherehadbeenaraceriotinNewYorkCityduringwhichawhitemobhadattackedhismotherandsisterandclubbedtodeathhisseven-year-oldnephew.Hediedseveralweekslaterinhospital,havinggivenhislifefortheverysamepeoplewhohadmurderedhisnephew.
美國內戰期間，北軍有不少黑人士兵，往往受到白人士兵以至北部城市白人嚴重歧視。第五十四麻薩諸塞州兵團是最著名的黑人兵團，一八六三年參與瓦格納堡圍城戰，英勇異常，傷亡慘重。傷者包括一級上士羅勃特．西蒙斯。他一條手臂被南軍來福槍一顆子彈打得支離破碎。
幸而西蒙斯不可能知道，不過三天前，紐約市爆發種族暴亂，一群白人暴徒襲擊他母親和妹妹，還把他七歲的姪兒亂棍打死。西蒙斯幾個星期之後在醫院去世，而他為之犧牲的人，正是謀殺他姪兒的人。
【附注】Theverysamepeople的very是加強語氣用語，有「正是」的意思，不可解作「十分」，例如：Thatwastheveryfirsttime（那是破天荒第一次）。