58th United States Colored Infantry Regiment

Last updated

58th United States Colored Infantry Regiment
Active1863–1866
CountryUnited States
AllegianceFlag of the United States (1863-1865).svg United States Union
Branch Infantry
United States Colored Troops
Size Regiment
Engagements American Civil War

The 58th United States Colored Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Originally organized as the 6th Mississippi Infantry (African Descent) on August 27, 1863, the regiment was redesignated as the 58th USCT Infantry on March 11, 1864. The regiment was composed of African American enlisted men from Mississippi commanded by white officers.

Contents

History

Tom Dare, 58th USCT Infantry. Tom Dare 58th USCT Infantry.jpg
Tom Dare, 58th USCT Infantry.

The 6th Regiment, Mississippi Volunteers (African Descent) was organized on August 27, 1863, at Natchez, Mississippi. [1] Most of the soldiers were former slaves from Mississippi who had escaped to Union lines. The first colonel of the Regiment was Absalom S. Smith, formerly of the 14th Wisconsin. [1] All officers of the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War were white, Black soldiers would not be commissioned as officers in the US Army until after the war. Col. Smith was dismissed from the service in January 1864, [1] and Simon Manly Preston became the regiment's colonel.

The regiment was posted on garrison duty at Natchez for most of the war. [2] Newly-recruited units of Black troops were used to garrison strategic points along the Mississippi River, freeing up veteran Union troops for service elsewhere. By the summer of 1864, the majority of the 5,000 Union troops garrisoning Natchez were from Colored Troops regiments. [3]

A detachment of the 6th Mississippi Regiment was sent on a scouting expedition on November 11, 1863, when they were fired on by Confederate cavalry 2 miles outside of Natchez. The Union troops drove off the attack, but suffered 4 killed and 6 wounded in the skirmish. [4]

The regiment was redesignated as the 58th USCT Infantry on March 11, 1864. [1] An inspection report from July 1864 detailed the Regiment's condition: "the FIFTY- eighth U. S. Infantry (Colored). Aggregate effective strength at the post, 674. They were armed with new Springfield muskets, and they were in fine condition. A few cartridge-boxes and bayonet scabbards were wanting, but otherwise the equipment was good. Many haversacks and canteens wanting, owing to articles having been destroyed in the post hospital. Sanitary condition good; discipline good; instruction fair; officers good. As soon as it can be relieved from its constant fatigue and working parties on fortifications, etc., and can have time for instruction and drill, it promises to make a fine regiment." [5]

Following the good inspection report in July, the 58th Regiment, along with the white 29th Illinois Infantry, was designated as the Natchez reserve force to be "constantly held in readiness to move by land or water at an hour's notice". [6] Although by 1864 the Union Army controlled all the major strategic points along the Mississippi River, Confederate cavalry still roamed the countryside, looting plantations and skirmishing with Union troops. In early August, the 58th was sent on an expedition to the Louisiana side of the Mississippi River in search of Confederates. Troops from the 29th Illinois and the 4th Illinois Cavalry accompanied the 58th, disembarking at Vidalia, Louisiana and marching over swampy terrain towards Trinity, Louisiana. On August 5, the Union forces clashed with a Confederate force near the Gillespie plantation, with a small number killed and wounded on each side. [7]

The 58th spent the remainder of the war at Natchez, and mustered out of service on March 8, 1866. [1]

There is currently an effort underway to raise funds for a monument to the US Colored Troops who served at Natchez, including the 58th. [8]

Combat casualties of the 58th Regiment: 4 killed, 6 wounded, 1 missing at Natchez (November 1863). [1]

Commanders

Commanders of the 58th USCT Infantry: [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Colored Troops</span> American Civil War military unit

United States Colored Troops (USCT) were Union Army regiments during the American Civil War that primarily comprised African Americans, with soldiers from other ethnic groups also serving in USCT units. Established in response to a demand for more units from Union Army commanders, USCT regiments, which numbered 175 in total by the end of the war in 1865, constituted about one-tenth of the manpower of the army, according to historian Kelly Mezurek, author of For Their Own Cause: The 27th United States Colored Troops. "They served in infantry, artillery, and cavalry." Approximately 20 percent of USCT soldiers were killed in action or died of disease and other causes, a rate about 35 percent higher than that of white Union troops. Numerous USCT soldiers fought with distinction, with 16 receiving the Medal of Honor. The USCT regiments were precursors to the Buffalo Soldier units which fought in the American Indian Wars.

The 71st United States Colored Infantry Regiment was one of 170 United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiments raised by the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Missouri Colored Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 4th Missouri Colored Infantry Regiment was an African-American infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Redesignated as the 68th U.S. Colored Troops Regiment on March 11, 1864.

The 54th 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.

The 57th 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.

The 51st United States Colored Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment composed of African-American troops recruited from Mississippi that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Initially formed in the spring of 1863 as the 1st Regiment Mississippi Volunteer Infantry (African Descent), the Regiment took part in fierce fighting at the Battle of Milliken's Bend, served on garrison duty in Louisiana, and then took part in the Battle of Fort Blakeley, the last major battle of the war.

The 14th United States Colored Infantry Regiment 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.

The 44th 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.

The 52nd United States Colored Infantry was an infantry regiment composed of African-American troops recruited from Mississippi that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. On July 4, 1864, the 52nd Colored Infantry fought a battle at Coleman's Plantation in Jefferson County, Mississippi. This engagement is notable as it is most likely the first time that Black soldiers from Mississippi fought against white Confederates from the same state.

The 53rd United States Colored Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Originally formed as the 3rd Regiment Mississippi Volunteers (African Descent), the regiment was composed of African American enlisted men commanded by white officers. The 53rd served on garrison duty in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas before being mustered out of service in 1866.

The 61st 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. The non-commissioned officers (sergeants and corporals) and enlisted men were African Americans. The regiment was originally organized as the 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry (African Descent) and was also referred to as the 2nd West Tennessee Infantry Regiment (African Descent).

The 16th Mississippi Infantry Regiment was a unit of the Confederate States Army from southern Mississippi that participated in the Eastern theater of the American Civil War as part of the Army of Northern Virginia. The 16th Regiment fought in numerous battles, taking heavy casualties at Antietam and Spotsylvania Court House before surrendering after Union troops broke through the defenses of Petersburg, Virginia, on April 2, 1865.

The 9th Mississippi Infantry Regiment was a Confederate infantry regiment from Mississippi. Organized from a group of volunteer companies at Pensacola in April 1861, the regiment was reorganized in 1862 and took part in many battles of the Western theater of the American Civil War before surrendering in April, 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Mississippi Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 3rd Mississippi Infantry Regiment was a Confederate military unit from Mississippi. Composed of volunteers from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the 3rd Regiment was initially assigned to coastal defense, before taking part in numerous campaigns of the Western theater of the American Civil War.

The 4th Mississippi Infantry Regiment was a Confederate infantry regiment from Mississippi. The 4th Regiment, formed of volunteer companies from central Mississippi, was captured at the Battle of Fort Donelson, captured again after the Siege of Vicksburg, and then fought in the Atlanta and Tennessee campaigns before surrendering after the Battle of Fort Blakeley in April, 1865.

The 66th United States Colored Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment composed of African-American troops recruited from Mississippi that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 66th Regiment was posted on garrison duty in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, and fought several skirmishes with Confederate troops around the Mississippi River before being mustered out of service in 1866.

The 1st Mississippi Partisan Rangers was a unit of the Confederate Army from Mississippi. The 1st Partisans operated as a cavalry regiment in North Mississippi and Tennessee, but suffered serious setbacks in late 1862 that compromised its effectiveness as a unit. Reorganized as the 7th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment in 1864, the regiment surrendered at the close of the war in May, 1865.

The 4th Louisiana Native Guard Infantry Regiment was an African-American unit of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 4th Native Guard was later redesignated as the 4th Regiment, Corps d' Afrique, and then finally as the 76th US Colored Infantry Regiment. The Regiment took part in battles at Port Hudson, Louisiana, and Fort Blakely, Alabama before being mustered out of service in December, 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">18th Mississippi Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 18th Mississippi Infantry Regiment was a unit of the Confederate States Army that took part in many battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.

The 2nd United States Colored Cavalry Regiment was an African-American military unit that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 2nd Colored Cavalry fought in Virginia before being mustered out of service in 1866.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Official Army Register of the Volunteer Force of the United States Army for the Years 1861, '62, '63, '64, '65: Part VIII Territories of Washington, New Mexico, Nebraska, Colorado, Dakota, Veteran Reserve Corps, U.S. Veteran Volunteers (First Army Corps) U.S Volunteers, U.S. Colored Troops. US Army Adjutant General's Office. 1867. p. 239. ISBN   978-0-943261-10-2.
  2. ↑ "58th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry". National Park Service. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  3. ↑ United States War Department (1895). The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Vol. 39 Serial 78. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. p. 185.
  4. ↑ Dobak, William A. (2011). Freedom by the Sword: The U.S. Colored Troops 1862-1867. Center of Military History, US Army. p. 196. ISBN   978-1-5107-2022-0.
  5. ↑ United States War Department (1895). The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Vol. 39 Serial 78. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. p. 188.
  6. ↑ United States War Department (1895). The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Vol. 39 Serial 78. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. p. 195.
  7. ↑ United States War Department (1895). The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Vol. 39 Serial 78. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. p. 459.
  8. ↑ "The Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Project". 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.