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444 Freedom by the Sword: The U.S. Colored Troops, 1862–1867 Iowa. At that time, some of those regiments occupied the Carolinas; some manned posts along the Mississippi River; and eleven were in Texas. These were the 8th, 22d, 41st, 43d, 45th, and 127th USCIs, all from Philadelphia; the 28th USCI, from Indiana; the 29th, from Illinois; the 31st, from New York; the 29th Connecticut Infantry; and the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry. All of them left Texas that fall. 51 With the free-state regiments of the XXV Corps gone and other reductions to come, the general commanding the Department of Texas made an unusual request. He asked Weitzel to provide a list of the remaining regiments “in the order in which they should be retained, according to your judgment of their qualities.” Seldom, if ever, had the commander of more than a dozen black regiments been asked to rate them in order of merit. Weitzel thought for a few days before replying and toward the end of November submitted a list in descending order of merit (Table 4). At the top stood the 7th USCI, followed by the 9th, 46th, 62d, 38th, and 114th USCIs; the 2d United States Colored Cavalry (USCC); the 36th, 19th, 10th, 117th, 109th, 116th, 118th, 115th, and 122d USCIs; the 1st USCC; and the 8th United States Colored Artillery (USCA). 52 What made the difference between a good regiment and a bad one, an organization that Weitzel wanted to keep and one that he would gladly be rid of? One difference, clearly, was sheer length of service, the number of months since a regiment had mustered in. The first nine regiments, those at the top half of Weitzel’s list, averaged nearly two years of service. The nine in the bottom half of the list averaged slightly more than one year and a quarter. Each regiment’s history of active service also influenced its efficiency. According to records compiled by the adjutant general, the 7th USCI, at the head of the list, had taken part in eleven engagements, including some full-scale battles around Richmond in the fall of 1864. The nine regiments in the top half of the list averaged slightly more than four engagements each; those in the bottom half, fewer than two. Length of time and variety of service therefore counted for a great deal. Table 4 shows at once that some regiments varied wildly from the average. The circumstances of each regiment’s service, and the personalities of its senior officers, could have appreciable effects. After two companies of the 1st Arkansas (African Descent [AD]) surrendered to a Confederate force at the Mound Plantation in Louisiana, in May 1863, the remaining companies moved across the Mississippi River to Vicksburg, where they became part of a large garrison. There, brought up to strength and with all its companies stationed together, the 1st Arkansas (AD) had ample opportunity to improve its drill; but the Mound Plantation remained its only engagement throughout the war. In April 1864, it received a new designation as the 46th USCI. Brig. Gen John P. Hawkins, who commanded at Vicksburg, called it “my ‘show Regiment,’” and attributed its proficiency in large part to the efforts of its commanding officer. 53 Another forceful personality was Lt. Col. David Branson of the 62d USCI. Branson took severe measures to promote literacy in his command. He ordered that any soldier found playing cards would “be placed standing in some prominent 51 XXV Corps, GO 63, 28 Sep 1865, Entry 520, XXV Corps, General Orders, pt. 2, RG 393, NA. 52 Maj Gen H. G. Wright to Maj Gen G. Weitzel, 16 Nov 1865, Entry 2073, U.S. Forces on the Rio Grande, LR; Maj Gen G. Weitzel to Col C. H. Whittlesey, 26 Nov 1865, Entry 2063, U.S. Forces on the Rio Grande, LS; both in pt. 2, RG 393, NA. 53 Brig Gen J. P. Hawkins to Maj Gen G. Granger, 24 Jun 1865, 46th USCI, Entry 57C, RG 94, NA. For the Mound Plantation fight, see Chapter 6, above.
Table 4—General Weitzel’s Ranking of Regiments in XXV Corps, November 1865 Regiment Mustered In No. Engagements 7th USCI September–November 1863 11 9th USCI November 1863 4 46th USCI May 1863 1 62d USCI December 1863 2 38th USCI January–March 1864 2 114th USCI July 1864 0 2d USCC December 1863 8 36th USCI October 1863 6 19th USCI December 1863–January 1864 3 10th USCI November 1863–September 1864 4 117th USCI July–September 1864 1 109th USCI July 1864 0 116th USCI June–July 1864 1 118th USCI October 1864 2 115th USCI July–October 1864 0 122d USCI December 1864 0 1st USCC December 1863 6 8th USCA October 1864 1 USCA = United States Colored Artillery; USCC = United States Colored Cavalry; USCI = United States Colored Infantry. Source: Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1959 [1909]), and Official Army Register of the Volunteer Force of the United States Army, 8 vols. (Washington, D.C.: Adjutant General’s Office, 1867), vol. 8.
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FREEDOM BY THE SWORD THE U.S. COLOR
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ARMY HISTORICAL SERIES FREEDOM BY T
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ARMY HISTORICAL SERIES Reina J. Pen
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No. Page 4. Along the Mississippi R
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x Page Swampy woods near Petersburg
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The Author William A. Dobak receive
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off-duty behavior, a book about bla
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Daoust, and John G. Saint, descenda
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Chapter 1 Mustering In—Federal Po
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Mustering In—Federal Policy on Em
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Chapter 2 The South Atlantic Coast
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The South Atlantic Coast, 1861-1863
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60 Freedom by the Sword: The U.S. C
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SOUTH CAROLINA A R K A N S A S Sava
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100 Freedom by the Sword: The U.S.
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Chapter 5 Southern Louisiana and th
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Southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coa
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Chapter 6 The Mississippi River and
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The Mississippi River and its Tribu
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Table 1—Black Regiments Organized
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Chapter 7 Along the Mississippi Riv
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Along the Mississippi River, 1863-1
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Chapter 8 Arkansas, Indian Territor
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Arkansas, Indian Territory, and Kan
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Chapter 9 Middle Tennessee, Alabama
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Middle Tennessee, Alabama, and Geor
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Chapter 10 North Carolina and Virgi
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North Carolina and Virginia, 1861-1
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Chapter 11 Virginia, May-October 18
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Virginia, May-October 1864 337 of b
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Virginia, May-October 1864 343 to c
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Virginia, May-October 1864 371 ence
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Chapter 12 Kentucky, North Carolina
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Chapter 15 Conclusion Although the
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Conclusion 499 than twelve thousand
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Adams, Col. Charles F., 422 Adams,
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Index 539 Brown, 1st Lt. Matthew C.
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Index 551 64th USCI (7th Louisiana)
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Index 553 345, 354-55, 358, 367, 36
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