![]() ![]() The United States Colored Troops fought in every major military campaign and battle the Union Army was involved in during the last two years of the Civil War. Furthermore, thousands of Black women, who were not allowed to formally enlist, worked for the military as cooks, spies, nurses, and scouts the most famous of these women was Harriet Tubman. An additional nineteen thousand African Americans served in the United States Navy. The USCT consisted of 135 regiments of infantry soldiers, six regiments of cavalry, one regiment of light artillery, and 13 regiments of heavy artillery. In May 1863, the United States War Department created the Bureau of Colored Troops, and the USCT was officially established. Once January 1 came, however, and the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, full-scale recruitment of Black troops began. These regiments were the precursors for the now-famous Buffalo Soldiers who served throughout the West following the conclusion of the war.īefore January 1, 1863, when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, President Abraham Lincoln was cautious about the recruitment of African Americans into the Union Army, due to politics and prejudice throughout the North, especially among Democrats loyal to the Union who resided in Border States that allowed slavery. By the end of the war, nearly a tenth of the entire Union Army consisted of members of the USCT, which peaked at 178,000 individuals. The troops were primarily African American, but Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders were all included within the ranks, as well. The United States Colored Troops (USCT) was the designation given to the approximately 175 regiments of non-white soldiers that served during the Civil War. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |