The 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

that served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It is credited as being the first infantry regiment to enter

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, when the city surrendered in the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

Service

The 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment was organized at Fair Haven,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and mustered on March 8, 1864, under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

William B. Wooster. Over 1,200 volunteers were recruited, exceeding the regiments mandated strength, and 400 were used to form the

30th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 30th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment, United States Colored Troops, was an infantry unit that existed briefly during the American Civil War. History The 30th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment was raised from 400 excess volunteers of ...

. The regiment was attached to the District of Beaufort,

Department of the South The Department of the South was a military department of the United States Army that existed in several iterations in the 19th century during and after the American Civil War. 1862–65 After the first 11 months of the American Civil War, startin ...

, April to August 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division,

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River (Virginia), James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. Histor ...

Department of Virginia and North Carolina The Department of Virginia and North Carolina was a United States Military department encompassing Union-occupied territory in the Confederate States during the Civil War. In 1863 it was formed by the merging of two previously existing departmen ...

, to December 1864. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXV Corps, to January 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XXV Corps, to April 1865, District of St. Marys, XXII Corps,

Department of Washington Department of Washington, was a department of the Union Army constituted on April 9, 1861. It consisted of the District of Columbia to its original boundaries, and the State of Maryland as far as Bladensburg. It was merged into the Military D ...

, to May 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XXV Corps,

Department of Texas The Department of Texas was a military department of the United States Army that existed from 1850 to 1861, and again from 1865 to 1866, from 1870 to 1913 and during the First World War. It was subordinate to the Military Division of the Missouri. ...

, to October 1865. The 29th Connecticut Infantry mustered out of service on October 24, 1865, and was discharged November 25, 1865, at

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, Connecticut.

Detailed service

Left Connecticut for Annapolis, Maryland, March 19. Moved to Beaufort, South Carolina, April 8–13, and duty there until August 8. Moved from Beaufort, South Carolina, to Bermuda Hundred, Virginia, August 8–13, 1864. Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond, August 13, 1864 to April 2, 1865. Demonstration on North Side of the James River, August 13–20, 1864. Deep Bottom, Strawberry Plains, August 14–18. Duty in the trenches before Petersburg, August 25-September 24. New Market Heights and Fort Harrison, September 28–29. Chaffin's Farm, September 29–30. Darbytown Road, October 13. Battle of Fair Oaks, October 27–28. Duty in trenches before Richmond until April 1865. Occupation of Richmond, April 3. (First infantry regiment to enter the city.) Moved to City Point April 18, then to Point Lookout, Maryland, and duty there guarding prisoners until May 28. Moved to City Point May 28–30, then sailed for Texas, June 10, arriving at Brazos, Santiago, July 3. March to Brownsville and duty there until October. At New Orleans October 27-November 11.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 198 men during service; 1 officer and 44 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 152 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel William B. Wooster

References

* Bacon, Edward W. ''Double Duty in the Civil War: The Letters of Sailor and Soldier Edward W. Bacon'' (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press), 2009. * Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * Hill, Isaac J. ''A Sketch of the 29th Regiment of Connecticut Colored Troops'' (Baltimore: Printed by Daughtery, Maguire), 1867. * McCain, Diana Ross. ''Connecticut's African American Soldiers in the Civil War, 1861-1865'' (Hartford, CT: Connecticut Historical Commission), 2000. * Newton, Alexander Herritage. ''Out of the Briars: An Autobiography and Sketch of the Twenty-Ninth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers'' (Philadelphia: The A.M.E. Book Concern), 1910. ;Attribution * {{CWR Military units and formations established in 1864 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 29th Connecticut Infantry Regiment (Colored) Connecticut Infantry, 29 1864 establishments in Connecticut

Service

Detailed service

Casualties

Commanders

See also

References