"1832-02-23Z"^^ . "Stephen A. Swails"@en . "Swails, Stephen Atkins"@en . . . . . "1900-05-17Z"^^ . "1832Z"^^ . "1863Z"^^ . "Stephen Atkins Swails (23 February 1832 \u2013 17 May 1900) was a soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although originally enlisting as a private, he was the first African-American soldier promoted to noncommissioned officer rank in that conflict, as evidenced by the U.S. War Department's initial refusal of that promotion due to his \"African descent.\"Swails was a free black who was so light in coloring that he was often mistaken as white."@en . . . "1865Z"^^ . . . . . "UnionArmyofficer" . "1900Z"^^ .