23rd United States Colored Infantry Regiment

Last updated
23rd United States Colored Infantry
ActiveNovember 23, 1863 - November 30, 1865
Country United States
Allegiance Union
Branch Union Army
Role Infantry
Engagements American Civil War

The 23rd United States Colored Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was composed of African American enlisted men commanded by white officers and was authorized by the Bureau of Colored Troops which was created by the United States War Department on May 22, 1863.

Infantry military service branch that specializes in combat by individuals on foot

Infantry is a military specialization that engages in military combat on foot, distinguished from cavalry, artillery, and tank forces. Also known as foot soldiers or infanteers, infantry traditionally relies on moving by foot between combats as well, but may also use mounts, military vehicles, or other transport. Infantry make up a large portion of all armed forces in most nations, and typically bear the largest brunt in warfare, as measured by casualties, deprivation, or physical and psychological stress.

Regiment Military unit

A regiment is a military unit. Their role and size varies markedly, depending on the country and the arm of service.

Union Army Land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, the Union Army referred to the United States Army, the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. Also known as the Federal Army, it proved essential to the preservation of the United States as a working, viable republic.

Contents

Service

The 23rd U.S. Colored Infantry was recruited in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland and organized at Camp Casey, [1] Virginia beginning November 23, 1863 for three-year service under the command of Colonel Cleaveland John Campbell. The regiment has the distinction of being the first African-American regiment to fight in organized combat against the Army of Northern Virginia on May 15, 1864 in a skirmish at the intersection of the Catharpin and Old Plank Roads in Virginia.

Washington, D.C. Capital of the United States

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C., is the capital of the United States. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, Washington was named after George Washington, the first president of the United States and a Founding Father. As the seat of the United States federal government and several international organizations, Washington is an important world political capital. The city, located on the Potomac River bordering Maryland and Virginia, is one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million tourists annually.

Baltimore Largest city in Maryland, United States

Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the 30th most populous city in the United States, with a population of 602,495 in 2018 and also the largest such independent city in the country. Baltimore was established by the Constitution of Maryland as an independent city in 1729. As of 2017, the population of the Baltimore metropolitan area was estimated to be just under 2.802 million, making it the 21st largest metropolitan area in the country. Baltimore is located about 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Washington, D.C., making it a principal city in the Washington-Baltimore combined statistical area (CSA), the fourth-largest CSA in the nation, with a calculated 2018 population of 9,797,063.

Maryland U.S. state in the United States

Maryland is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. The state's largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State. It is named after the English queen Henrietta Maria, known in England as Queen Mary, who was the wife of King Charles I.

The regiment was attached to 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, IX Corps, Army of the Potomac, April - September 1864. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, IX Corps, to December 1864. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXV Corps, December 1865. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, XXV Corps, and Department of Texas, to November 1865.

IX Corps (United States)

IX Corps was a corps of the United States Army. For most of its operational history, IX Corps was headquartered in or around Japan and subordinate to US Army commands in the Far East.

Army of the Potomac unit of the Union Army during the American Civil War

The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in May 1865 following the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in April.

XXV Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was unique in that it was made up almost entirely of African-American troops. These soldiers had previously belonged to the X Corps and XVIII Corps.

The 23rd U.S. Colored Infantry mustered out of service November 30, 1865.

Detailed service

Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River, Va., May and June 1864. Guarding wagon trains of the Army of the Potomac through the Wilderness. Before Petersburg June 15–18. Siege of Petersburg and Richmond June 16, 1864 to April 2, 1865. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30, 1864. Weldon Railroad August 18–21. Fort Sedgwick September 28. Poplar Grove Church September 29–30. Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, October 27–28. Bermuda Hundred December 13. Duty on the Bermuda Hundred front until March 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. Duty in the Department of Virginia until May. Moved to Texas May - June. Duty at Brownsville and along the Rio Grande River, Texas, until November.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 252 men during service; 4 officers and 82 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 165 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Near the present site of The Pentagon.

See also

United States Colored Troops African American soldiers for the Union in the American Civil War

The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served with the units. They were first recruited during the American Civil War, and by the end of that war in April 1865, the 175 USCT regiments constituted about one-tenth of the manpower of the Union Army. About 20% of USCT soldiers died, a rate about 35% higher than that for white Union troops. Despite heavy casualties, many fought with distinction, 15 USCT soldiers receiving the Medal of Honor and numerous others receiving other honors.

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References

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