From Corps d'Afrique to the US Colored Troops - Black Civil War Soldiers of Louisiana

Miliken's Bend Louisiana was part of the Vicksburg Campaign 

Involving USCT from Louisiana & Mississippi

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When I became interested in the stories of Black Union Soldiers I was curious to find out how many soldiers were from each state.  I was more than surprised when I learned that so many of the regiments organized came from the state of Louisiana. In fact----I was so amazed to learn that 39 black regiments came from Louisiana.

The stories of the Louisiana Native Guards, from the French Creole community are well known and well documented.  But what about those from the enslaved communities---those enslaves persons of African descent---they made up the majority of the Louisiana regiments. I became interested in their story, simply because---there were so many regiments from Louisiana:

Louisiana Black Union Regiments

4th US Colored Cavalry

10th US Colored Heavy Artillery

Battery C

Battery D

Battery E

47th US Colored Infantry

48th US Colored Infantry

49th US Colored Infantry

50th US Colored Infantry

63rd US Colored Infantry

64th US Colored Infantry

73rd US Colored Infantry

74th US Colored Infantry

75th US Colored Infantry

76th US Colored Infantry

77th US Colored Infantry

78th US Colored Infantry

79th US Colored Infantry (old)

80th US Colored Infantry

81st US Colored Infantry

82nd US Colored Infantry

83rd  US Colored Infantry (old)

84th US Colored Infantry

85th US Colored Infantry

86th US Colored Infantry

87th US Colored Infantry (old)

87th US Colored Infantry (new)

88th US Colored Infantry (old)

89th US Colored Infantry

90th US Colored Infantry

91st US Colored Infantry

92nd US Colored Infantry

93rd US Colored Infantry

95th US Colored Infantry

96th US Colored Infantry

97th US Colored Infantry

98th US Colored Infantry

99th US Colored Infantry

7th Louisiana Colored Infantry

One of the more memorable battles fought in Louisisana was that of Miliken's Bend.  

In addition to Miliken's Bend, I learned that Black soldiers would also  play a major part in the seige of Port Hudson, in May 1863.  Civil War illustrators for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, captured an image of the seize of Port Hudson involving Louisiana's Black soldiers in 1863.

Assault of the 2nd Louisiana Colored Infantry on the Iron Words at Port Hudson

References to Louisiana's rich Civil War history, must include the Corps d'Afrique, the name originally given to these soldiers of African descent from that state.  

In some photos, such as this one, Black Louisiana Union soldiers were identified as Corps D'Afrique

At the New York Public Library, Image Gallery in the work, "Soldiers of the American Army, 1775-1941, a rare color drawing of Corps d'Afrique soldiers in uniform is found.

This image is a rare drawing of Corp D'Afrique Uniforms

Source: NYPL Digital Gallery

Louisiana has a rich Civil War history, and beyond the 39 black Union regiments from the state there were the thousands of men, women and children who resisted and who made it to the line as contrabands. Man worked at the encampments as scouts, spies, laundresses, nurses, field hands, blacksmiths and teamsters. Their untold stories now lie buried in the soil where these proud Louisiana people now rest. 

This list of regiments is merely to mention them to catch the attention of sons and daughters of Louisiana and and hopefully Louisiana descendants will fully embrace them and truly tell their stories.