Facts About U.S. Colored Troops

Center design of the 6th U.S. Colored Troops regimental flag. The top motto reads, "Freedom for all". From the Library of Congress Collection 1) Only men ages 18 to 45, of good health and physical condition could enlist in the U.S. Colored Troops. Before December 1863, Missouri slaves of loyal masters needed consent before enrolling.

2) The first colored regiment organized in the State of Missouri was the 3rd Arkansas Infantry (African Descent). It was composed of primarily Missourians but because of prejudice the State did not want to claim them as their own. The unit was composed of freemen and slaves of master's loyal to the Union. They began recruitment on shortly after May 22, 1863 and were organized Aug 12, 1863 at Schofield Barracks, St. Louis, Mo. They were redesignated the 56th U.S. Colored Troops on March 11, 1864. Most of their service was garrison duty at Helena, Arkansas but they did go on two nearby expeditions. The regiment lost a whopping 674 men. 25 killed; 649 died of disease. It remained on duty at Helena till mustered out, Sept. 15, 1866.

3) Missouri was the first State to see Colored Troops in combat. At Island Mound, Missouri in the western part of the state, the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry saw action against Confederates (Oct. 29, 1862). [Kansas was a bit premature in forming this unit according to Federal law. Most of the men of this regiment were former slaves from Arkansas and Missouri. Out of convenience, the owners of these slaves were assumed to be all disloyal.] A detail of soldiers of this unit went out on picket duty and were separated from the main part of the regiment. They took refuge in a ravine and held their ground. Capt. Richard Ward who commanded these troops stated, "I have witnessed some hard fights, but I never saw a braver sight than that handful of brave men fighting...Not one surrendered or gave up a weapon." One of the Confederates reported that "The black devils fought like tigers...not one would surrender, though they had tried to take a prisoner."

4) Originally the slaveowner's consent was required before a slave could enlist. Order No. 135 of Nov. 1863 changed this, allowing enlistment without consent. If the owner did consented they were given some compensation. In addition, the order abolished the highly effective recruitment patrols. There was some dispute that these patrols were forcing some slaves against their will. Certainly they were opposed by most slaveowners. Unfortunately the change required slaves willing to enlist, to travel to the recruitment stations, sometimes many miles away..

5) Runaway slaves seeking to enlist had to overcome many risks on their journey. Slave Patrols, bushwhackers, and guerrillas.

6) If a runaway slave made it to the recruiting station (usually the office of the Provost Marshall), he still could be rejected due to poor health or physical condition. If rejected he became a refugee and if outside of the contraband camps, risked danger of being captured by a slave patrol.

7) Men of the U.S. Colored Troops often escaped from master's that disapproved of blacks being soldiers. After they enlisted, if their families were not in the contraband camp, sometimes masters abused. their wives or children in retaliation..

8) Some families of soldiers were sold as revenge for slave joining the Army. Usually slaves were sold to Kentucky were it was also a protected institution.

9) On Nov 10, 1863, Gen. John M. Schofield issued Special Order 307, an order that prohibited the selling of slaves from the State. A month later he modified it allowing the sale of any slave unfit for military service.

10) Most U.S. Colored Regiments were assigned Post and Garrison Duty or labor on fortifications. This included guarding Confederate prisoners of war. When they saw action they demonstrated that they could fight as well as white troops.

11) Missouri ranked 4th of the Union States, in regard to the number of Colored troop enlistments (8,344). This represents 39 percent of the prewar black males (21,167), age 18 to 45.

12) In addition to Missouri units, many black Missourians served in regiments of other States. Most of the Kansas Colored Troops (2,080) were from runaway or abducted slaves from Missouri. (Kansas' prewar black male population was only 126, age 18 to 45.) Also Eastern recruiters often came to St. Louis looking to enlist black Missourians. Some joined units as far away as Massachusetts.

13) Four companies (Co. G, H, I, K) of the 1st Iowa Colored Troops (60th U.S. Colored Infantry) were composed of Missourians. The regiment finished its organization at Benton Barracks in St. Louis, Mo. Iowa could only claim 440 men of this regiment and of this number, many were former Missouri slaves. Iowa's prewar male population of military age was only 249.

14) Four regiments were organized at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Mo. These were the following:

1st Missouri Colored Infantry (62nd U.S. Colored Infantry)

2nd Missouri Colored Infantry (65th U.S. Colored Infantry)

3rd Missouri Colored Infantry (67th U.S. Colored Infantry)

4th Missouri Colored Infantry (68th U.S. Colored Infantry)

15) Colored Troops had separate hospital wards at Benton Barracks. Nurses were staffed by the Colored Ladies Union Aid Society.

16) Not all the troops at Benton Barracks experienced good treatment from the government. Lt. Col. William F. Fox, U.S.V. reported that for the 2nd Missouri Colored Infantry, "Over 100 men died at [Benton] Barracks before the regiment took the field, the men having been enlisted by the Provost-Marshals throughout the State and forwarded to this Post during an inclement season,-- thinly clad, and many of them hatless, shoeless, and without food. Many suffered amputation of frozen feet or hands, and the diseases engendered by this exposure resulted in a terrible and unprecedented mortality."

17) A contraband camp of former slaves was also located at Benton Barracks, north of the City of St. Louis (in present location of Fairgrounds Park in present day north St. Louis). During the summer of 1863, St. Louis was inundated by thousands of refugee slaves. The government had no way to determine which of these individuals were slaves or "freedmen", thus they were all treated as freedmen. On certain occasions slave owners (or slave catchers) tried to retrieve their subjects, but Union guards would only allow slaves to go willingly and without abuse.