The Emancipation Proclamation having stated that freedmen would be "received into the armed service of the United States," enlisting these freedmen became official policy.
ðɪ ɪmˌænsɪpˈeɪʃən pɹˌɑːklɐmˈeɪʃən hˌævɪŋ stˈeɪɾᵻd ðæt fɹˈiːdmɛn wʊd bˈiː "ɹᵻsˈiːvd ˌɪntʊ ðɪ ˈɑːɹmd sˈɜːvɪs ʌvðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts," ɛnlˈɪstɪŋ ðiːz fɹˈiːdmɛn bɪkˌeɪm əfˈɪʃəl pˈɑːlɪsi.