United States Colored Troops

United States Colored Troops (USCT) were Black regiments organized by the Union Army during the American Civil War, beginning in 1863. Their soldiers served in combat, garrison duty, and support roles.

Frederick Douglass: Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist, writer, and orator who advocated Black enlistment in the Union Army. He recruited Black soldiers and pressed the Union to treat them as equal servicemen.
Emancipation Proclamation: The Emancipation Proclamation was Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 wartime order declaring enslaved people free in designated areas and authorizing Black military service. It authorized the enlistment of Black men into Union forces as the war’s aims expanded.
54th Massachusetts Infantry: The 54th Massachusetts Infantry was one of the first Black regiments raised in the North during the Civil War. Its recruitment and combat made Black military service visible to Northern audiences.
Black veterans: Black veterans are African American former members of the United States armed forces. USCT service created a large generation of Black veterans who claimed rights through their military service.
Martin Delany: Martin Delany was an abolitionist, physician, and the first Black field officer in the United States Army. His commission as a major made him the highest-ranking Black officer in the Union Army.
Bureau of Colored Troops: The Bureau of Colored Troops was the War Department office that organized and administered Black Union regiments. It formalized recruiting and regiment formation after Black enlistment began expanding.
Battle of Fort Wagner: The Battle of Fort Wagner was an 1863 Union assault on a Confederate fort near Charleston, South Carolina. The 54th Massachusetts suffered heavy losses in the assault, challenging claims that Black troops would not fight.
Reconstruction: Reconstruction was the period of political and social change in the United States following the Civil War. The service and citizenship claims of Black soldiers entered the postwar struggle over freedom and equality.
Robert Gould Shaw: Robert Gould Shaw was a white Union officer who commanded the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. His leadership connected the celebrated Massachusetts regiment to the broader story of Black enlistment.
Militia Act of 1862: The Militia Act of 1862 authorized the enlistment of African Americans in federal service during the Civil War. It provided an earlier legal basis for Black military labor and service.

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