The 8th United States Colored Infantry 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 ...

. The regiment was composed of

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

enlisted men commanded by white officers and was authorized by the

Bureau of Colored Troops The Bureau of Colored Troops was created by the United States War Department on May 22, 1863, under General Order No. 143, during the American Civil War, Civil War, to handle "all matters relating to the organization of colored troops." Major Char ...

which was created by the

United States War Department The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

on May 22, 1863.

Service

The 8th U.S. Colored Infantry was organized at

Camp William Penn Camp William Penn was a Union Army training camp located in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania from 1863 to 1865, notable for being the first training ground dedicated to African American troops who enlisted in the United Army during the Americ ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, beginning September 22, 1863, and mustered in December 4, 1863, 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 ...

Charles W. Fribley. The regiment was attached to Howell's Brigade, District of Hilton Head, South Carolina, Department of the South, to February 1864. Hawley's Brigade, Seymour's Division, District of Florida, Department of the South, to April 1864. District of Florida, Department of the South, 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 * X ...

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, 2nd Division, XXV Corps, to April 1865. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XXV Corps, and Department of Texas, to November 1865. The 8th U.S. Colored Infantry mustered out of service November 10, 1865, and was discharged December 12, 1865, at Philadelphia.

Detailed service

Left Philadelphia for Hilton Head, S.C., January 16, 1864. Expedition from Hilton Head, S.C., to Jacksonville, Fla., February 5–6, 1864. Occupation of Jacksonville February 7. Advance into Florida February 8–20. Camp Finnegan February 8. Battle of Olustee February 20. Retreat to Jacksonville and duty there until April. Moved to St. John's Bluff April 17. and duty there until August. Raid on Baldwin July 23–28. Moved to Deep Bottom, Va., August 4–12. Action at Deep Bottom August 12. Duty at Deep Bottom and in trenches before Petersburg until September 27. Battle of Chaffin's Farm, New Market Heights, September 28–30. Fort Harrison September 29. Darbytown Road October 13. Battle of Fair Oaks October 27–28. In trenches before Richmond until March 27, 1865. Appomattox Campaign March 28 – April 9. Hatcher's Run March 29–31. Fall of Petersburg April 2. Pursuit of Lee April 3–9. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Moved to Petersburg April 11, and duty there until May 24. Sailed from City Point for Texas May 24. Duty at Ringgold Barracks and on the Rio Grande, Texas, until November 1865. Moved to Philadelphia, Pa., November 10 – December 3.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 251 men during service; 4 officers and 115 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 132 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel Charles W. Fribley * Colonel Samuel Chapman Armstrong

Notable members

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Robert Burns Beath Robert Burns Beath (January 25, 1839 – November 25, 1914) was an American soldier who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and as the 12th Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, 1883–1884. Early life and ...

- 12th Commander-in-Chief of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

, 1883-1884 *

1st Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

Oliver Wilcox Norton, Company K - author and bugler who helped compose Taps

References