African Americans in the Military, 1639 to 1886 Documentary History, Records, Papers & Studies

African Americans in the Military, 1639 to 1886 Documentary History, Records, Papers & Historical Works

 

This collection contains 8,424 pages of material.

 

Sections include:

 

The Negro in the Military Service of the United States Colored Troops Division History Compilation

 

Period History

 

Modern History

 

The files contain a text transcript of all computer recognizable typed text embedded into the graphic image of each page of each document, creating a searchable finding aid. Text searches can be done across all files in the collection.

 

The Negro in the Military Service of the United States Colored Troops Division History Compilation

 

4,935 pages of documents, seven volumes (eight bound parts), comprising the unpublished report, "The Negro in the Military Service of the United States," created by the War Department's Adjutant General's Office, Colored Troops Division, compiled between 1863 to 1888.

 

The Colored Troops Division was established as a division of the AGO under War Department General Order 143, May 22, 1863. This Division, whose functions included all matters pertaining to the recruitment, organization, and service of black troops and their officers, existed until January 31, 1888, when most of its functions were transferred to the Volunteer Service Division

 

The report is a compilation of official records, state papers, historical extracts, etc., relating to the military status and service, of African Americans from the date of their introduction into the British North American Colonies through the Civil War. It was prepared under the direction of Adjutant General Richard C. Drum by Elon A. Woodward, Chief of the Colored Troops Division. The compilation's volumes were completed between 1885 and 1888.

 

Includes a guide prepared by the staff at the National Archives and Records Administration covering the scope, content, and history of the material in this collection.

 

The report's full title is, "The Negro in the Military Service of the United States: A Compilation of Official Records, State Papers, Historical Extracts, etc., Relating to his Military Status and Service, from the date of his introduction into the British North American Colonies," consists primarily of documents copied from published and unpublished primary sources. In addition, there are a few original documents and extracts of material from secondary sources that are used to cover periods of history for which primary sources were not readily available. The volumes are part of the National Archive's Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780's-1917, Record Group 94.

 

The goal of the project according to a letter from Adj. Gen. Richard C. Drum to Secretary of War William C. Endicott, dated April 21, 1888, was to select "the more important documents bearing upon this subject." Drum added that the documents selected were historically significant and had been selected "from time to time, as it could be done by those most familiar with the records." He also requested that the Secretary of War obtain congressional approval to publish the collected material, which the Government Printing Office had estimated would cost about $7,200 for 2,000 sets of three printed volumes. Endicott submitted this proposal to Congress with the printing estimates, Drum's letter, examples of the records, and his request that the compilation be published. The Speaker of the House of Representatives introduced the letter of the Secretary of War to Congress. It was referred to the Committee on Printing, but no action was taken. There is no indication that the committee ever considered publication of the history.

 

In 1894, the copied documents and a few original documents were bound into seven volumes, and in 1894 these seven volumes were transferred from the War Department library to the Records and Pension Office.

 

This seven-volume compilation (8 bound parts) is divided into nine chapters corresponding roughly to 9 time periods. The chapters are further subdivided into three or four sections. Those sections concerned with military employment and civil status are further divided between Confederate States and United States. Under each section the documents are arranged chronologically. Some editing of the documents, varying in amount from volume to volume, was done, indicating that the work was being prepared for the press and that mistakes had been made by the copyists. (Pages were numbered consecutively for the entire series. When title pages were inserted later, they were given the preceding page number plus a letter.) On the last page of the compilation, under the title "Statistical Tables," is a note stating that the tables were too bulky to be placed with the copies of the records that were to be bound.

 

The report contains the following sections:

 

Volume 1 - Chapter I, Colonial Period, Chapter II, War of the Revolution, 1774-83, Chapter III, War of 1812-15;

 

Volume 2 - Chapter IV, War of the Rebellion, 1861-62 Census Report, Fugitive Slaves, Contraband of War, Laborers, etc., Military Employment, Events, Battle Reports;

 

Volume 3 - Chapter V, War of the Rebellion, 1863, Part I - Military Employment, Part II - Correspondence re Civil Status, Labor, etc., Events, Battle Reports, etc.;

 

Volume 4 - Chapter VI, War of the Rebellion, 1864, Military Employment;

 

Volume 5 - Correspondence Re Civil Status, Labor, etc., Events, Battle Reports, etc.;

 

Volume 6 - Chapter VII, War of the Rebellion, and the Reconstruction Period, 1865-67, Military Employment, Correspondence Re Civil Status, Labor, etc., Events, Battle Reports, etc.;

 

Volume 7 - Chapter VIII, Treatment and Exchange of Prisoners of War, Chapter IX, Regular Army, 1866-86.

 

Highlights from this section includes:

 

The Colonial Period chapter (p. 1-50B) contains six extracts from secondary works stating when and where blacks were introduced into the American colonies; several military laws and orders in council permitting the arming and use of slaves in the militia during war; three casualty reports for the years 1689, 1725, and 1780; and one page listing slave population statistics for 1715.

 

The War of the Revolution, 1774-83 Chapter (p. 50C-295) contains extracts from published sources (largely acts of colonial governments and proceedings of State assemblies), a few published letters, and a few documents from the Massachusetts State Archives. These extracts and documents contain general statements regarding events and acts of Royal officers and slave population statistics. They relate to the use of free blacks and slaves as soldiers, the treatment of blacks who sided with the English or who were taken as prisoners of war, the desirability of enlisting all-black units, and the enlistment of blacks in general. There are several references to Connecticut and Rhode Island black units.

 

Fugitive Slaves, Contraband of War, Laborers, etc. (p. 397-800). This section is divided between Federal (p. 397-706) and Confederate (p.707-800) Correspondence, orders, legislation, and so forth. The Federal part

is composed almost exclusively of copies of War Department

correspondence and orders. The correspondence is primarily between the

Secretary of War or the Adjutant General (and in a few instances President Lincoln) and territorial department commanders, and between the department

commanders and their subordinate officers.

 

The proclamations and issuances are those of the War Department and of the many territorial commands. Before the President's proclamation of September 1862 freeing slaves in the rebel States, the correspondence was mainly concerned with the problems involved in, and the lack of specific instructions for, determining which blacks were slaves and which were free, their use as forced laborers or as paid laborers, which were slaves of rebellious masters and which of loyal masters, how to prevent collisions between the civil and military authorities, the discipline of the military in an emotional and social problem, and the necessity of giving assurance that the war was one of restoration and not ofabolition or destruction. The problems relating to loyal masters are well summarized in a letter of Edward Stanley, Military Governor of North

Carolina, to the Secretary of War, dated June 12, 1862 (p. 517).

 

After the Emancipation Proclamation, the correspondence relates mainly to the inability of the Army to adequately feed and house black refugees orNcontrabands and to justification for Army actions in loyal slave States (e.g., Kentucky) in not freeing the slaves. Included is a lengthy opinion of the Attorney General, November 29, 1862, that freemen of color, if born in the United States are citizens of the United States. Of special interest (p. 632) is a memorandum of an arrangement entered between planters, new loyal citizens of the United States in Louisiana, and the civil and military authorities of the United States where the blacks were to be paid and fed for their labor, and the sick to be cared for.

 

The Confederate part contains acts and resolutions of State assemblies authorizing the employment for pay for both free persons of color and slaves as laborers on fortifications and defenses. It also contains correspondence between the Confederate Secretary of War or Adjutant General and Confederate Army officers relating to the need for impressing blacks as

laborers on fortifications and as hospital attendants to replace enlisted nurses, to the inadequacy of black laborers, and to the competition among officers to secure enough black laborers.

 

There is correspondence relating to the authorization of Gen. T. W. Sherman, in October 1861, to use the services of any volunteer, including a fugitive from labor, in any way that he is fitted. This was authorized as an emergency measure and not as the regular enrollment for military purposes. There is also correspondence relating to the authorization of Gen. David Hunter,

Commander of the Department of the South, to form blacks into "squads, companies, or otherwise," but this, too, was not considered to be authorization to organize and muster into the Army of the United States fugitive or captive slaves. Also included are congressional debates and resolutions on the use of blacks in the military and the act of July 17, 1862, permitting the President to employ, organize, and use blacks to suppress rebellion. After the Union defeats at Richmond in August 1862, the requests for using blacks as soldiers greatly increased, but by the end of 1862 the President had authorized black troops only in the Departments of the South

and the Gulf. The correspondence indicates, nevertheless, that a number of black units were organized without proper authorization.

 

Events, Battle Reports (p. 1045A-1061) These reports, of both the Union and the Confederacy, were selected because somewhere in each report blacks were involved in shooting incidents. The black unit that appears to have shown greatest distinction was the 1st South Carolina Volunteers (Colored).

 

Military employment (p. 1061A-1894) This section contains mainly correspondence of the Secretary of War, War Department bureaus, geographical departments and Army commanders, and State Governors, and issuances promulgated by them. The correspondence concerns the raising of black troops, Army sentiment for and against arming blacks, the use of blacks as officers, difficulties encountered in recruiting and mustering, changes in methods of mustering, training and drill of black troops, methods of organizing, numbers enrolled, and excerpts from letters relating to complaints, rumors, and threats. There are reports on the pros and cons of black camps in certain locations, on contrabands and the education and employment problems of free blacks, reports from Adj. Gen. Lorenzo Thomas in the Mississippi Valley on his experiences in explaining the contraband policy of the Federal Government to Army officers and on their reactions, reports of behavior of black troops under fire, and reports of recruiting results.

 

Letters recommending men to become officers of black troops, letters relating to the dismissal of officers tendering their resignations because of Government policy, and letters exhorting the War Department to use blacks against the enemy and to treat them without prejudice. Also included are accounts of congressional bills and debates on the raising of black troops and a "Preliminary Report of the American Freedmen's Inquiry Commission" of June 30, 1863, relating to blacks as refugees, military laborers, and soldiers. There are also the report of the Bureau of Colored Troops, October 1863; extracts from department returns on numbers of black troops; a few notes and memoirs postdating 1863 (as late as 1891); some manuscript records from the State of Massachusetts; and some correspondence of the Departments of the Interior (relating to number of blacks of arms bearing age) and State (relating to the use of blacks by the

French Army in Mexico).

 

In a few pages of Confederate documents there are four letters received by President Davis-relating to the use of blacks in the Army, three letters of the Secretary of War relating to the use of blacks and Creoles, and excerpts from legislation introduced into the South Carolina General Assembly and the Confederate House of Representatives.

 

Correspondence Relative to Civil Status, Labor, etc. (p.1895-2080). The Federal correspondence is largely between Headquarters of the Army or the Secretary of War and department commanders, or between department commanders and subordinate commanders. It relates to the use and treatment of blacks coming into Army lines, loyalty of blacks, treatment of abandoned slaves or the former slaves of rebels, the issuance of rations, escorting blacks out of some States, and the selling of slaves freed under the Emancipation Proclamation. There are also instructions to State Governors relating to these same problems, orders issued by various geographical Army commands relating to the employment of blacks and in what capacity, and reports of labor and duties actually performed by blacks.

 

In this section the Confederate records consist primarily of acts of State legislatures about using slaves for the public defense, President Davis' message relating to the Emancipation Proclamation, and the reaction of other Confederate officials to the Proclamation. The correspondence relates to the need of and requests for black laborers, suspected black uprisings, and rumors.

 

Events, Battle Reports, etc. (p. 2080A-2297). The Confederate and Union documents are not separated from each other and consist of complete reports, extracts from monthly returns, and extracts from letters and reports. The documents are about blacks involved in warfare, but do not necessarily describe fighting or the conduct of blacks under fire. Complete reports have been included about expeditions and battles in which the Federal 1st and 2d South Carolina Volunteers (Colored) and the Confederate 1st South Carolina (Negro) regiments were involved, as well as other black units in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, the Cherokee Nation, and the Indian Territory.

 

Correspondence between Richmond and the State Governments and the military relates primarily to the pros and cons of freeing the slaves and arming them as allies and equals. In addition to acts and resolutions introduced into State assemblies on the subject of calling free men of color into the service, there is included Jefferson Davis' message of November 7, 1864, against any "general levy and arming of the slaves for the duty of soldiers" (p. 2891).

 

Events, Battle Reports, etc. (p. 3004A-3512) The Confederate reports and extracts from reports are mainly concerned with blacks in the Federal lines, and, like many Federal reports, they point out the bad treatment of black soldiers by the enemy. Like the corresponding part for 1863, this part for 1864 contains reports, extracts of reports, and monthly returns. Again, they show the number of killed and wounded and the units involved, as well as giving detailed accounts by the many USCT commanders of the expeditions and battles in which USCT units were involved. Examples of these for which there are substantial numbers of reports are: the Yazoo Expedition in February 1864; the Ft. Pillow battle of April 12; the battle at Jenkins Ferry, Ark., April 30; defense of Williams Wharf, James River, Va., May 25; expedition from Tennessee into Mississippi in July; explosion of the mine and assault of Petersburg, July 30; operations before Richmond, Va., engagement at Fair Oaks, Oct. 1864; battle of Honey Hill, S.C., November 30, 1864; and the campaign in Tennessee, December 1864.

 

Events, Battle Reports, etc. (p. 3995-4147). Written primarily by division, brigade, and USCT commanders, these 1865 reports cover black efforts in such battles or campaigns as Ft. Fisher, N.C., in January; Wilmington, N.C., in February; the abandonment of Richmond in March and April; the assault and capture of Blakely, Ala., in April; the expeditions from Georgetown to Sumterville, S.C., in April; and the engagements at Dingle's Mill and Boykin's Mill in April.

 

Treatment and Exchange of Prisoners of War (p. 4147A-4670).  As in previous sections, this one is also divided between Federal and Confederate correspondence. Because the nature of the subject was such that correspondence was carried on between the two governments, the Federal section contains much Confederate as well as Federal correspondence relating to the treatment and exchange of prisoners of war. There is correspondence between the Agents for Exchange of Prisoners of both sides, between Federal and Confederate agents relating to arrangements for the exchange, and between Federal agents and other Federal officers. More

specifically, the correspondence relates to such problems as arrangements forand attempts for exchanges, Federal complaints about the treatment of blacks and officers of black units, complaints about Confederate failure to obey the cartel agreed to on July 22, 1862, threats of retaliation, and reports of eyewitnesses to instances of maltreatment, such as the hanging of black prisoners by the Confederates.

 

The Confederate section contains many bills introduced into the Confederate

Legislature relating to the punishment of blacks who were in the Federal Army and retaliation for the prosecution of the "unholy war" being waged by the U.S. against the Confederate States. In addition to correspondence between Confederate agents and officers, there is also correspondence between Confederate and Federal agents primarily concerned with the U.S.

insistence that recaptured slaves and officers of black units be treated as prisoners of war, to which the Confederacy did not agree. According to the Presidential proclamation of December 22, 1862, all officers of black regiments were to be tried as felons who had incited slaves to riot. Captured black soldiers were to be turned cover to State authorities.

 

Source: National Archives and Records Administration at Washington, DC

 

 

Period History

 

1,520 pages, in 16 works, covering the early African American participation in military forces, published between 1812 and 1902.

 

The works include:

 

The Negro Soldier a Select Compilation (1861)

 

Originally published in 1861, this publishing containing three historical works: 1. The Loyalty and Devotion of Colored Americans in the Revolution and War of 1812 by William Lloyd Garrison. 2. Historical Notes on the Employment of Negroes in the American Army of the Revolution by George Henry Moore. 3. Missing Pages in American History, Revealing the Services of Negroes in the Early Wars of the United States of America, 1641-1815 by Laura Eliza Wilkes.

 

 

Army Life in a Black Regiment by Thomas Wentworth Higginson (1870)

 

An account written by Thomas Wentworth Higginson (1823–1911), a colonel of the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, the first federally authorized black regiment. Higginson was an American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist, and soldier. He was active in the American Abolitionism movement during the 1840s and 1850s, identifying himself with disunion and militant abolitionism. He was a member of the Secret Six who supported John Brown. Originally published in 1870, these essays, though told from the viewpoint of a white officer, offer a detailed look at everyday camp life.

 

 

Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops, late 1st S. C. volunteers (1902)

 

A memoir by Susie King Taylor. She was the only African American woman to publish a memoir of her wartime experiences during the Civil War. She was born into slavery on August 8, 1848. At 14 she escaped. Taylor eventually relocated to St. Simons Island. There she opened a school for African American children and adults. She married Sergeant Edward King of the South Carolina Volunteers (33rd U.S. Colored Infantry) and traveled with him and served as the regiment's laundress, cook, teacher, and nurse.

 

 

First Organization of Colored Troops in the State of New York, to Aid in Suppressing the Slaveholders' Rebellion (1864)

 

Title of this work continues, "Statements concerning the origin, difficulties and success of the movement, including official documents, military testimonials, proceedings of the "Union League Club," etc. Collated for the "New York Association for Colored Volunteers," by Henry O'Rielly, secretary.

 

Also included are:

 

Services with Colored Troops in Burnside's Corps (1894)

 

A Sketch of the 29th Regiment of Connecticut Colored Troops (1867)

 

Joint Resolutions in Reference to the Treatment of Colored Troops (1864)

 

Letters and Discussions on the Formation of Colored Regiments and the Duty of the Colored People in Regard to the Great Slaveholders' Rebellion (1862)

 

Reminiscences of Service with Colored Troops in the Army of the Cumberland, 1863-65 (1885)

 

 

 

Modern History

 

1,520 pages of studies dating from 1973 to 2011, The works include:

 

 

Combat Multipliers African American Soldiers in Four Wars (2003)

 

A monograph written by Krewasky A. Salter I.

 

Abstract: This study by Lieutenant Colonel Krewasky A. Salter represents a dedicated effort to draw attention to African American units and service members over four major wars covering some 170 years. His background in military history and African American history, along with his numerous professional research, publications, and teaching experiences in both civilian and military institutions, makes him imminently qualified to undertake this project. As a battalion command selectee, Salter has had a remarkable career on the military side as well. He is, therefore, uniquely qualified as a soldier-scholar. Salter has indeed maintained a rock-solid professional reputation in both arenas.

 

 

From Segregation to Desegregation Blacks in the U.S. Army 1703-1954 (1990)

 

A study by Raymond B. Ansel, Colonel, QM.

 

Abstract: The purpose of the paper is to (1) present a brief historical overview of the use of Blacks in the U.S. Army between the period 1703 to 1940, and (2) to discuss desegregation of the U.S. Army, 1948 through 1954.

 

 

Black Men: Denial and Acceptance 1861-1863 (1995)

 

A master thesis by Lieutenant Commander E. Bernard Carter, U.S. Navy.

 

Abstract: This study documents the struggle to overcome prejudice and discrimination against black men during the early portion of the Civil War, 1861-1863. This study's focus is on several factors that are crucial in the Lincoln administration's final decision to accept blacks as a combat soldier. The black man throughout the history of this nation fought and died in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and the Mexican War with distinction. His acceptance as anything other than a combat soldier, has marred his ability to progress beyond the ranks of a menial enlisted worker in the Army or a cabin boy within the Navy. The policy decisions of the Lincoln administration directly affected how the black mem would be used in the Civil War. The thesis concludes that the overriding reason for the acceptance of blacks as combat soldiers was the need for manpower.

 

 

Brave Black Regiment - The Formation of The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, January 1863 - June 1864 (1995)

 

A master thesis by Army Major Joseph B. Coleman.

 

Abstract: This study documents the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment's history from its creation on 26 January 1863 through the attainment of equal pay on 15 June 1864. Previous historians have not chronicled, in detail, the early history of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment. This study fills part of that gap. The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment was the first black regiment of the North organized after the Emancipation Proclamation became law. This study focused on the recruiting, training, and formation of that regiment. The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment trained and initially garrisoned at Camp Meigs located in Readville, Massachusetts. All officers assigned to the regiment were white. All black enlisted soldiers assigned to the new regiment met strict screening requirements. Abolitionists recruited a large percentage of the black men for the regiment. Black men were recruited across the northern United States and Canada. The thesis concludes that the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, despite problems and setbacks, performed its first missions successfully, and subsequently impacted on black rights after the Civil War.

 

 

Buffalo Soldiers: The formation of the 24th Infantry Regiment: October 1866--June 1871 (1993)

 

A master thesis by William E. Gorham, LCDR, USN.

 

Abstract: This study documents the Twenty-fourth Infantry Regiment from its formation on March 15, 1869, through its first deployment from Fort McKavett, Texas, on November 1, 1869. This study's focus is on the policies which led to the formation, the assignment of personnel, and the initial campaigns of the eight individual companies of the 24th Regiment. The Twenty-fourth Infantry Regiment was formed by the Reorganization Act of 1869, which consolidated four black infantry regiments into two units, the Twenty-fourth, and Twenty-fifth Infantry Regiments.

 

 

The Formation of the Ninth Cavalry Regiment: July 1866 - March 1867 (1991)

 

A master thesis by Army Major Harry Johnson.

 

Abstract: This study documents the Ninth Cavalry Regiment's history from its creation on July 28, 1866, through its deployment west in March 1867. Previous historians have not chronicled, in detail, the early history of the Ninth Cavalry Regiment. This study fills part of that gap. The Ninth Cavalry was one of six Black Regular Regiments created by the Reorganization Act of 1866. This study focused on the mustering, formation, and training of that regiment. The regiment was garrisoned in New Orleans, Louisiana. All officers assigned to the new regiments had to meet strict screening requirements. Most of the recruiting for the regiment's Black soldiers was done in the southwest portion of the United States.

 

 

First Kansas Colored Volunteers: Contributions of Black Union Soldiers in the Trans-Mississippi West (2004)

 

A master thesis by Army Major Michael E. Carter.

 

Abstract: Over one hundred and eighty thousand black men fought for the Union during America's Civil War. From infantrymen to artillerist and cavalry soldiers, these soldiers combined to form one hundred and sixty-six Union regiments. On 29 October 1862 at Island Mound, Missouri, the First Kansas Colored Volunteers, an infantry regiment comprised mainly of blacks from Kansas and Missouri, became the first black regiment to experience combat during the Civil War. What have been omitted from research thus far are their contributions to overall Union successes in the Trans-Mississippi West. Their accomplishments are remarkable, for they came in the face of extreme obstacles of prejudice and hatred.

 

 

The 24th Infantry Regiment and the Racial Debate in the U.S. Army (1997)

 

A master thesis by U.S. Army Major Willard S. Squire III.

 

Abstract: The debate over the service of black Americans in the U.S. Army centered around three questions: Could they serve? Would they be allowed to serve? And, if allowed, in what capacity would they serve? This is similar to modern debates about the service of women and homosexuals in the military. The valuable service of black Americans during the Civil War coupled with Radical Republican policies ended this debate in 1866 with the formation of six regiments composed of black soldiers led by white officers in 1870, the Army Reduction Act consolidated those regiments into four, the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments.

 

 

The Effects of the Cessation of Exchange of Prisoners During the Civil War (1993)

 

A master thesis by U.S. Army Major David R. Pierce.

 

Abstract: This study examines the effects of halting the exchanges of prisoners during the American Civil War. When exchanges were ceased by General Grant in April 1864, both the Union and Confederate Armies were thereafter deprived of a badly needed source of manpower. In addition, the need for fighting men in the North persuaded the Federal Government to include a much larger number of negro regiments in the front lines of battles.

 

 

The Role of Officer Selection and Training on the Successful Formation and Employment of U.S. Colored Troops in the American Civil War, 1863-1865 (2011)

 

A master thesis by U.S. Army Major Daniel V. Van Every.

 

Abstract: The successful formation and employment of the USCT regiments during the Civil War depended on many factors. The soldiers themselves were highly motivated to succeed. Victory in the war meant permanent freedom

for themselves, and their families. But motivation and courage alone do not make a successful military organization. One of the crucial factors that contributed to the success of the USCT was the highly qualified nature of the majority of white officers selected to lead USCT regiments. Officers were appointed to command USCT regiments following a logical and original merit-based program of selection and promotion. That process surpassed the standards for officers in white regiments.

 

 

The Role of the Buffalo Soldiers during the Spanish-American War (1992)

 

A master thesis by U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Reuben L. Wright.

 

This study documents the accomplishments of the Buffalo Soldiers during the Spanish-American War. This study is limited to the 9th and 10th Cavalry only. The thesis covers the Battles of Las Guasimas and San Juan Hill {Kettle Hill). The study covers the integration of the Buffalo Soldiers with the infamous "Rough Riders" and Teddy Roosevelt.

 

Tabular Analysis of the Records of the U.S. Colored Troops and their Predecessor Units in the National Archives of the United States (1973)