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The 'United States Colored Troops' ('USCT') were regiments of the United States Army during the American Civil War that were composed of African-American soldiers. The men of the USCT were the forerunners of the famous Buffalo Soldiers.
The United States War Department issued General Order Number 143 on May 22, 1863, establishing a "Bureau of Colored Troops" to facilitate the recruitment of African-American soldiers to fight for the Union Army.
Regiments, including infantry, cavalry, light artillery, and heavy artillery units, were recruited from all states of the Union and became known as the United States Colored Troops (USCT). Approximately 175 regiments of over 178,000 free blacks and freed slaves served during the last two years of the war, and bolstered the Union war effort at a critical time. By war's end, the USCT were approximately a tenth of all Union troops. There were 1,715 USCT combat casualties during the war.
USCT regiments were led by white officers and rank advancement was limited for black soldiers. For a time, black soldiers received less pay than their white counterparts. Famous members of USCT regiments were Martin Robinson Delany, and the sons of Frederick Douglass. Soldiers who fought in the Army of the James were eligible for the Butler Medal, commissioned by that army's commander, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler.

Contents

History

Notable actions

Awards

Postbellum and legacy

Numbers of "Colored Troops" by state, North and South

See also

External links

History

Notable actions

USCT regiments fought in all theaters of the war, but mainly served as garrison troops in rear areas. The most famous USCT action took place at the Battle of the Crater during the Siege of Petersburg, where regiments of USCT troops suffered heavy casualties attempting to break through Confederate lines. Other notable engagements include Battery Wagner and the Battle of Nashville. USCT soldiers often became victims of battlefield atrocities, most notably at Fort Pillow. The prisoner exchange cartel broke down over the Confederacy's position on black prisoners of war. Confederate law stated that blacks captured in uniform be tried as slave insurrectionists in civil courts—a capital offense. Although this rarely, if ever, happened, it became a stumbling block for prisoner exchange. USCT soldiers were among the first Union forces to enter Richmond, Virginia, after its fall in April 1865. The 41st USCT regiment was present at the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox. Following the war, USCT regiments served as occupation troops in former Confederate states.

Awards

Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions with the 4th USCT in the Battle of Chaffin's Farm in Virginia. Fleetwood took up the regimental colors after 11 other USCT soldiers had been shot down while carrying them forward. Many USCT soldiers won some of the nation's highest awards.

Postbellum and legacy

After the war many of the USCT veterans struggled for recognition and had difficulty obtaining the pensions due them. The Federal government did not address the inequality until 1890 and many of the veterans did not receive service and disability pensions until the early 1900s. The history of the USCT's wartime contribution was kept alive within the black community by historians such as W.E.B. Dubois and the subject enjoys a recent surge in literature.
The motion picture ''Glory'', starring Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, depicted actions of the African-American soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment during the assault on Battery Wagner on July 18, 1863.
A national celebration in commemoration of the service of the United States Colored Troops was held in September 1996. A national museum is located in the Historic U street Corridor in Washington, D.C., at 1200 U Street, NW. The African American Civil War Memorial, featuring ''Spirit of Freedom'' by sculptor Ed Hamilton, is located at the corner of Vermont Avenue and U Street, NW.

Numbers of "Colored Troops" by state, North and South

North	Number	South	Number
Connecticut	1,764	Alabama	4,969
Colorado Territory	95	Arkansas	5,526
Delaware	954	Florida	1,044
District of Columbia	3,269	Georgia	3,486
Illinois	1,811	Louisiana	24,502
Indiana	1,597	Mississippi	17,869
Iowa	440	North Carolina	5,035
Kansas	2,080	South Carolina	5,462
Kentucky	23,703	Tennessee	20,133
Maine	104	Texas	47
Maryland	8,718	Virginia	5,723
Massachusetts	3,966
Michigan	1,387	'Total South'	93,796
Minnesota	104
Missouri	8,344	At large	733
New Hampshire	125	Not accounted for	5,083
New Jersey	1,185
New York	4,125
Ohio	5,092
Pennsylvania	8,612
Rhode Island	1,837
Vermont	120
West Virginia	196
Wisconsin	155
'Total North'	79,283
		'Total'	178,895

See also

★ List of United States Colored Troops Civil War Units

★ Fort Pocahontas

★ 92nd Infantry Division (United States)

★ 93d Infantry Division (United States)

★ 366th Infantry Regiment (United States)

★ Tuskegee Airmen

★ 761st Tank Battalion (United States)

★ Abraham Lincoln Brigade

★ Thornton Chase, Captain, Company D, 104th United States Colored Troops

External links

★ African Americans in the U.S. Army

★ Mr. Lincoln and Freedom: Black Soldiers

★ 1863 Picture and News Report on the First Colored Regiment in the US

★ African American Civil War Memorial and Museum

★ 5th United States Colored Infantry [1]