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The United States Troops Of Color (USToC) were regiments of the United States Army during the American Civil War that were composed of African-American soldiers. The men of the USToC were the forerunners of the famous Buffalo Soldiers.

The United States War Department issued General Order Number 143 on May 22, 1863, establishing a "Bureau of Troops of Color" to facilitate the recruitment of African-American soldiers to fight for the Union Army.

Regiments, including infantry, cavalry, light artillery, and heavy artillery units, were recruited from all states of the Union and became known as the United States Troops Of Color (USToC). Approximately 175 regiments of over 178,000 free blacks and freed slaves served during the last two years of the war, and bolstered the Union war effort at a critical time. By war's end, the USToC were approximately a tenth of all Union troops. There were 1,715 USToC combat casualties during the war.

USToC regiments were led by white officers and rank advancement was limited for black soldiers. For a time, black soldiers received less pay than their white counterparts. Famous members of USToC regiments were Martin Robinson Delany, and the sons of Frederick Douglass. Soldiers who fought in the Army of the James were eligible for the Butler Medal, commissioned by that army's commander, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Notable actions 1.2 Awards 2 Postbellum and legacy 3 Numbers of "Troops Of Color" by state, North and South 4 See also 5 External links

USToC regiments fought in all theaters of the war, but mainly served as garrison troops in rear areas. The most famous USToC action took place at the Battle of the Crater during the Siege of Petersburg, where regiments of USToC troops suffered heavy casualties attempting to break through Confederate lines. Other notable engagements include Battery Wagner and the Battle of Nashville. USToC soldiers often became victims of battlefield atrocities, most notably at Fort Pillow. The prisoner exchange cartel broke down over the Confederacy's position on black prisoners of war. Confederate law stated that blacks captured in uniform be tried as slave insurrectionists in civil courts—a capital offense. Although this rarely, if ever, happened, it became a stumbling block for prisoner exchange. USCT soldiers were among the first Union forces to enter Richmond, Virginia, after its fall in April 1865. The 41st USToC regiment was present at the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox. Following the war, USCT regiments served as occupation troops in former Confederate states.

Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions with the 4th USToC in the Battle of Chaffin's Farm in Virginia. Fleetwood took up the regimental colors after 11 other USCT soldiers had been shot down while carrying them forward. Many USToC soldiers won some of the nation's highest awards.

After the war many of the USToC veterans struggled for recognition and had difficulty obtaining the pensions due them. The Federal government did not address the inequality until 1890 and many of the veterans did not receive service and disability pensions until the early 1900s. The history of the USToC wartime contribution was kept alive within the black community by historians such as W.E.B. Dubois and the subject enjoys a recent surge in literature.

The motion picture Glory, starring Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, depicted actions of the African-American soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment during the assault on Battery Wagner on July 18, 1863.

A national celebration in commemoration of the service of the United States Troops Of Color was held in September 1996. A national museum is located in the Historic U street Corridor in Washington, D.C., at 1200 U Street, NW. The African American Civil War Memorial, featuring Spirit of Freedom by sculptor Ed Hamilton, is located at the corner of Vermont Avenue and U Street, NW.

North	Number	South	Number
Connecticut	1,764	Alabama	4,969
Colorado Territory	95	Arkansas	5,526
Delaware	954	Florida	1,044
District of Columbia	3,269	Georgia	3,486
Illinois	1,811	Louisiana	24,502
Indiana	1,597	Mississippi	17,869
Iowa	440	North Carolina	5,035
Kansas	2,080	South Carolina	5,462
Kentucky	23,703	Tennessee	20,133
Maine	104	Texas	47
Maryland	8,718	Virginia	5,723
Massachusetts	3,966
Michigan	1,387	Total South	93,796
Minnesota	104
Missouri	8,344	At large	733
New Hampshire	125	Not accounted for	5,083
New Jersey	1,185
New York	4,125
Ohio	5,092
Pennsylvania	8,612
Rhode Island	1,837
Vermont	120
West Virginia	196
Wisconsin	155
Total North	79,283
		Total	178,895

• List of United States Troops Of Color Civil War Units
• Fort Pocahontas
• 92nd Infantry Division (United States)
• 93d Infantry Division (United States)
• 366th Infantry Regiment (United States)
• Tuskegee Airmen
• 761st Tank Battalion (United States)
• Abraham Lincoln Brigade
• Thornton Chase, Captain, Company D, 104th United States Colored Troops

This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

• African Americans in the U.S. Army
• Mr. Lincoln and Freedom: Black Soldiers
• 1863 Picture and News Report on the First Colored Regiment in the US
• African American Civil War Memorial and Museum
• 5th United States Infantry Of Color [1]

v • d • e Buffalo Soldiers
Predecessors:	United States Colored Troops • Bureau of Colored Troops
Units:	9th Cavalry Regiment • 10th Cavalry Regiment • 24th Infantry Regiment • 25th Infantry Regiment
Soldiers:	Dennis Bell • Horace Bivens • Thomas Boyne • Benjamin Brown • John Denny • Nicolae Dunca • Clinton Greaves • Edward Hatch • Henry Johnson • George Jordan • Mark Matthews • Fitz Lee • Isaiah Mays • Emanuel Stance • William H. Thompkins • Augustus Walley • George H. Wanton • Cathy Williams • William Othello Wilson • Brent Woods
Notable battles:	Battle of Beecher Island • Battle of Tularosa • Battle of Tayacoba • Battle of San Juan Hill • Punitive Expedition • Battle of Carrizal