Saturday, January 8, 2011

ARKANSAS: Black Civil War Regiments


Headstone of an Arkansas Black Union Soldier
Buried at National Cemetery, Ft. Smith, Arkansas


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Though they are not often mentioned, there were10 regiments that were part of the United States Colored Troops organized in the state of Arkansas. Since finding a good number of soldiers from my hometown that are buried in the National cemetery, in Ft. Smith, my interest in the local history of the Arkansas USCTs has grown.  I have studied the histories and movements of many of these regiments, and feel that they should be mentioned on this anniversary of one of the battles that took place on Arkansas soil.

Several of the regiments were organized as Regiments of African Descent, and were later re-designated with US Colored designations. It is common to sometimes see the older regiments described with the letters "A. D" meaning that these are soldiers of African Descent. (To the south, in neighboring Louisiana, a similar designation was made for the early companies organized there. They were identified as Corps d'Afrique in the traditional French.)

Also not often mentioned is the fact that Arkansas had some strong abolitionist sentiments in the NW portion of the state where plantation style slavery was not practiced the way it was in the counties that were part of the Mississippi Delta in the southeast portion of the state. Though slavery did exist in the northwest counties, it was not as large and the numbers of slaves did not match the numbers in central and southeastern Arkansas.
Nevertheless, those enslaved in northwest Arkansas yearned for freedom just as much.  When the word spread throughout the enslaved community that the 11th US Colored Infantry was organizing in that part of the state, a good number of slaves from Sebastian and Crawford counties enlisted, as did able bodied men from nearby Indian Territory, where both the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations had a good number of their slaves to escape and enlist.

Later as the 11th US Colored Infantry moved east towards central Arkansas, there were opportunities later to enlist when units such as the 83, and later 57th Colored Infantries were sent to western Arkansas. Wherever the Union army encamped, there were opportunities for escape to Freedom.

As a result, it is important to take note of the regiments that come from  this state. By knowing where these units organized and where they served, might help researchers to connect with possible ancestors who may have been recruited and possibly served in the Federal army.

This is a list of the regiments that were organized in the state of Arkansas.


Battery H. 2nd Regiment Light Artillery - Organized from the 1st Arkansas Battery of African Descent, on December 13, 1864. Attached to the Post of Pine Bluff, Arkansas., 7th Corp, Department of Arkansas to September 1865. SERVICE---Garrison duty at Pine Bluff, ARk, entire term. Expedition to Mount Elba, Arkansas and skirmish at Saline River, January 22,-February 4, 1865. Mustered out September 15, 1865.
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11th U.S. Colored Infantry (Old) - Organized at Fort Smith, Arkansas December 19, 1863 to March 3, 1864. Attached to 2nd Brigade, District of the Frontier, 7th Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to January, 1865. Colored Brigade, 7th Corps, to February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 7th Corps, to April, 1865. SERVICE--Post and garrison duty at Fort Smith, Ark., until November, 1864. Action at Fort Smith August 24. Moved to Little Rock, Ark., November, 1864. Action at Boggs' Mill January 24, 1865. Duty at Little Rock and at Lewisburg, Ark., until April, 1865. Consolidated with 112th and 113th to form new 113th U.S. Colored Troop April 22, 1865. More information on the history of the 11th US Colored Infantry (Old) can be found here.Names of the soldiers that enlisted in the 11th can be found here. Several headstones of soldiers that served in the 11th have been located and documented here.
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46th Regiment Infantry--This unit was organized from 1st Arkansas Infantry, African Descent, May 11, 1864. Attached to Post of Milliken's Bend, La., District of Vicksburg, Miss., to November, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division. U.S. Colored Troops, District of Vicksburg, Miss.. until January, 1865. 2nd Brigade, Post and Defenses of Memphis, Tenn., District West Tennessee, to February, 1865. New Orleans, La., Dept. of the Gulf, to May, 1865. Dept. of Texas, to January, 1866. SERVICE--Post and garrison duty at Milliken's Bend, La., and at Haines' Bluff, Miss., until January, 1865. Actions at Mound Plantation. Miss., June 24 and 29, 1864. Ordered to Memphis, Tenn., January, 1865, and garrison duty there until February, 1865. Ordered to New Orleans, La., February 23, and duty there until May 4. Ordered to Brazos Santiago, Texas, May 4. Duty at Clarksville and Brownsville on the Rio Grande, Texas, until January, 1866. Mustered out January 30, 1866.
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54th U.S. Colored Infantry -Organized March 11, 1864, from 2nd Arkansas Infantry (African Descent). Attached to 2nd Brigade Frontier Division, 7th Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 7th Corps, to August, 1865. Dept. of Arkansas to December, 1866. SERVICE--Duty at Helena, Ark., until May, 1864. Ordered to Fort Smith, Ark., and duty there until January, 1865. Actions at Fort Gibson September 16, 1864. Cabin Creek September 19. Cow Creek, Kansas, November 14 and 28. Ordered to Little Rock January, 1865. Action on Arkansas River January 18. Duty at Little Rock and at various points in Dept. of Arkansas until December, 1866. Mustered out August 8 to December 31, 1866.
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56th U.S. Colored Infantry--Organized March 11, 1864, from 3rd Alabama Infantry (African Descent). Attached to District of Eastern Arkansas, 7th Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to August, 1865. Dept. of Arkansas to September, 1866. SERVICE-- Post and garrison duty at Helena, Ark., until February, 1865. Action at Indian Bay April 13, 1864. Muffleton Lodge June 29. Operations in Arkansas July 1-31. Wallace's Ferry, Big Creek, July 26. Expedition from Helena up White River August 29-September 3. Expedition from Helena to Friar's Point, Miss., February 19-22, 1865. Duty at Helena and other points in Arkansas until September, 1866. Mustered out September 15, 1866. Regiment lost during service 4 Officers and 21 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 647 Enlisted men by disease. Total 674.
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57th U.S. Colored Infantry--Organized March 11, 1864, from 4th Arkansas Infantry (African Descent). Attached to District of Eastern Arkansas, 7th Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to May, 1864. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 7th Corps, to January, 1865. Colored Brigade, 7th Corps, to February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 7th Corps, to August, 1865. Dept. of Arkansas to December, 1866. SERVICE Garrison duty at Helena and Little Rock, Ark., until August, 1864. (A detachment on Steele's Camden Expedition March 23-May 3, 1864, as bridge train guard.) Skirmish near Little Rock April 26, 1864. Operations against Shelby north of Arkansas River May 13-31. Skirmishes near Little Rock May 24 and 28. March to Brownsville, Ark., August 23, and to Duvall's Bluff August 29. Duty there and at Little Rock until June, 1865; then at various points in the Dept. of Arkansas guarding property and on post duty until December, 1866. Companies "A" and "D" mustered out October 18-19, 1866. Regiment mustered out December 31, 1866.
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69th U.S. Colored Infantry--Organized at Pine Bluff, Duvall's Bluff and Helena, Ark., and Memphis, Tenn., December 14, 1864, to March 17, 1865. On duty at these points in Dept. of Arkansas and District of West Tennessee until September, 1865. Discontinued September 20, 1865.
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112 U.S. Colored Infantry--Organized at Little Rock, Ark., from 5th Arkansas Colored Infantry April 23 to November 8, 1864. Attached to 1st Division, 7th Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, June, 1864, to January, 1865. Colored Brigade, 7th Corps, to February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 7th Corps, to April, 1865. Post and garrison duty at Little Rock, Ark., entire term. Transferred to 113th United States Colored Troops (New) April 1, 1865.
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113th U.S. Colored Infantry (Old) Organized June 25, 1864, from 6th Arkansas Colored Infantry. Attached to 1st Division, 7th Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to January, 1865. Colored Brigade, 7th Corps, to February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 7th Corps, to April, 1865. SERVICE---Post and garrison duty at Little Rock, Ark., entire term. Consolidated with 11th United States Colored Troops (Old) and 112th United States Colored Troops to form 113th United States Colored Troops (New) April 1, 1865.

113th U.S. Colored Infantry (New)--Organized April 1, 1864, by consolidation of 11th United States Colored Troops (Old), 112th United States Colored Troops and 113th United States Colored Troops (Old). Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 7th Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to August, 1865, and Dept. of Arkansas to April, 1866. Duty in Dept. of Arkansas. Mustered out April 9, 1866.








3 comments:

  1. I'm a Black Oklahoman.... your blog listing was new on geneablogger... great quick read this time of am. I'll follow you. I've been blog posting several years...Have you visited our new OK History Center. Will host your visit if need be. take care.

    ReplyDelete
  2. How many blacks fought for the South in the Civil war and why?Did blacks have the same interest as whites?How many blacks owned slaves in Charleston, South Carolina during the Civil war? Why?

    regards,

    hvac school in AR

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Bella,
    Do you mean fought as soldiers in regiments? Very few. In spite of what some revisionists say talking about so called "thousands" not one list of these imaginary thousands of soldiers can be found. The south did not even approve using black soldiers until the end of the war. When Lee surrendered at Appomattox 36 blacks were paroled and they were not soldiers but servants, teamsters, cooks, and blacksmiths. Of this tiny number NONE were soldiers.

    Regarding black slaveholders---many people, free Blacks frequently purchased family members, and keeping them "on the books" as slaves, thus preventing white slaveholders from selling their wives, children, and parents, as was continually done for decades, ripping families apart.

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