The 1st Michigan Colored Infantry was formed between August 1863 and February 1864 and mustered on February 17, 1864,[2] after an editorial and letter writing campaign by Henry Barns, an editor for the Detroit Tribune and Advertiser. Barns was commissioned the regiment's first colonel for his efforts; he maintained this post until voluntarily stepping down in favor of Henry L. Chipman. Lt. Colonel Newcomb Clark was Chipman's deputy and each was brevetted for Distinguished and meritorious conduct in the field.
The regiment was organized at Camp Ward, located on a farm in Detroit. Eight-hundred-forty-five men from Detroit, southern Michigan, and Upper Canada (now Ontario), volunteered for the regiment. Some of these early volunteers were escaped slaves from the Underground Railroad; 72 had been living in Canada where their status as free men was assured. While all were fighting against slavery, some were fighting to free actual family members who may have still been in slavery. For these early black volunteers particularly, to step into the spotlight by volunteering took enormous courage, not to mention the bravery of those who crossed back into the U.S. to fight.
During training, a regimental band was formed which toured and performed to attract and recruit more volunteers. The regiment also had artillery and cavalry elements.
The regiment was formed from August through September 1863, amidst that year's draft riots and protests against the war. Mustered in as the 102nd US Colored Troops on February 17, 1864 (or May 23, 1864), the unit was redesignated the 102nd Regiment United States Colored Troops.[3] The 900-man unit left Detroit on March 28, 1864. The regiment, composed entirely of volunteers, lost almost 10 percent of its men during the nineteen months the regiment was in the field, campaigning throughout South Carolina, eastern Georgia and Florida. The infantry was assigned to the fort at Port Royal where they served as the second line of defense. In Baldwin, Florida, 21 miles from Jacksonville, the unit was attacked suddenly by a Confederate cavalry force. The soldiers easily defeated the Confederates, which proved to their officers that they were just as skilled and reliable as any other infantry. In Manchester the regiment and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry succeeded in an attack on the flank of Confederate forces, putting them in disorder. Then the regiment was attacked by 200 Confederates and caused many casualties to the enemy. The Confederates came to a truce to be informed that Generals Robert E. Lee and Joseph E. Johnston had surrendered; the war was over.
This was the regiment's last battle; they served occupation duty until they were called together and were mustered out of service on September 30, 1865. The regiment returned to Detroit where it was disbanded on October 17, 1865.
Strength and casualtiesedit
The total enrollment in the 102nd Regiment was 1,446; 6 people were killed in action, 5 people died of wounds, and 129 people died of disease.
1st Lieutenant, 102nd US Colored Infantry b. 1842 d. 1914, from Michigan "Citation Hazardous service in marching through the enemy's country to bring relief to his command"
Brennan, James. First Michigan Colored Regiment. Available online at , 1991–2007
Cahill, Edward F., and Henry Barnes. Edward F. Cahill Collection. 1863. This collection is made up of letters and documents related to Edward F. Cahill's involvement with the 102nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment during and immediately after the Civil War. Included are 3 contracts made between freedmen and their former owners near Edisto River and Orangeburg, South Carolina, in 1865.
Dunn, William. A History of the First Michigan Colored Regiment. Thesis (M.A.)--Central Michigan University, 1967, 1967.
. Sponsored by the Detroit Branch, Association for the Study of Negro Life and history. Historic plaque located on the grounds of Duffield Elementary School, the original site of Camp Ward, Detroit.
Harvey, Don & Lois. 1st Regiment Michigan Volunteer Infantry. Available online at
MacRae, Cordella, Emma Ribbron, and Doris Byrd. Civil War Veterans of the 102nd United States Colored Troops, the First Michigan Colored Regiment, Buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan. [Detroit, Mich.] (5201 Woodward Ave., Detroit 48202): Fred Hart Williams Genealogical Society, 1990.
Nelson, Wilbur, and Gaylord Nelson. Wilbur Nelson. 1864. This collection consists of Nelson's war diaries, several transcriptions, a narrative describing Nelson's war experiences, and a muster roll. Nelson wrote his diaries in shorthand. Included are his original diary for 1864, typed and handwritten transcriptions of the 1864 diary, and a typed transcription of Nelson's diary for 1865 (the original is not included in the collection). The narrative, written by Nelson's grandson, Gaylord Nelson, is based on Wilbur Nelson's diary for 1863 and his correspondence (which are not included in the collection). The muster roll for Company J, 102nd Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops, dated February 14, 1864, lists the name, age, and rank of Nelson's soldiers.
Sleight, William E., David D. Anderson, and Jno Robertson. Lieutenant William E. Sleight and the 102nd Regiment, U.S. Colored Infantry, in the Civil War. East Lansing, Mich: Midwestern Press, the Center for the Study of Midwestern Literature and Culture, 2003.
Smith, Michael O. The First Michigan Colored Infantry A Black Regiment in the Civil War. Thesis (M.A.)--Wayne State University, 1987, 1987.
United States, and Kenneth L. Cole. Join and Support the First Michigan Colored Infantry Volunteers. Lansing, Mich: First Michigan Colored Infantry Volunteers, 1987.
Notesedit
^Wilson, Joseph Thomas (1890).The Black Phalanx, pg 476
^First Michigan Colored Regiment 2015-01-30 at the Wayback Machine.
^National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors Database, M589 Roll 21, Film C-101, [2]
January 01, 1970
102nd, united, states, colored, infantry, regiment, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 102nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2013 Learn how and when to remove this message The 102nd United States Colored Infantry was an African American infantry regiment of United States Colored Troops in the Union Army during the American Civil War The unit was organized as the 1st Michigan Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment before being redesignated as the 102nd Regiment USCT 102nd United States Colored Infantry RegimentActive1863 64 as 1st Michigan May 23 1864 September 30 1865 as 102nd USCT DisbandedOctober 17 1865CountryUnited StatesAllegianceUnionBranchArmyTypeInfantrySize1 446Part of9th Army CorpsEngagementsBaldwin Florida Sherman s March to the Sea Battle of Honey Hill Battle of Tulifinny Campaign of the Carolinas Battle of Dingle s Mill Skirmish at Spring Hill Battle of Boykin s Mill Salkehatchie Bradford s Springs Singletons Plantation Swift s Creek 1 CommandersNotablecommandersCol Henry Barnes Lt Col William T BennettMaj Newcomb ClarkCpt Orson W Bennett 1st Lt Charles L Barrell Contents 1 History 2 Strength and casualties 3 Notable members 4 See also 5 References 6 NotesHistory editThe 1st Michigan Colored Infantry was formed between August 1863 and February 1864 and mustered on February 17 1864 2 after an editorial and letter writing campaign by Henry Barns an editor for the Detroit Tribune and Advertiser Barns was commissioned the regiment s first colonel for his efforts he maintained this post until voluntarily stepping down in favor of Henry L Chipman Lt Colonel Newcomb Clark was Chipman s deputy and each was brevetted for Distinguished and meritorious conduct in the field The regiment was organized at Camp Ward located on a farm in Detroit Eight hundred forty five men from Detroit southern Michigan and Upper Canada now Ontario volunteered for the regiment Some of these early volunteers were escaped slaves from the Underground Railroad 72 had been living in Canada where their status as free men was assured While all were fighting against slavery some were fighting to free actual family members who may have still been in slavery For these early black volunteers particularly to step into the spotlight by volunteering took enormous courage not to mention the bravery of those who crossed back into the U S to fight During training a regimental band was formed which toured and performed to attract and recruit more volunteers The regiment also had artillery and cavalry elements The regiment was formed from August through September 1863 amidst that year s draft riots and protests against the war Mustered in as the 102nd US Colored Troops on February 17 1864 or May 23 1864 the unit was redesignated the 102nd Regiment United States Colored Troops 3 The 900 man unit left Detroit on March 28 1864 The regiment composed entirely of volunteers lost almost 10 percent of its men during the nineteen months the regiment was in the field campaigning throughout South Carolina eastern Georgia and Florida The infantry was assigned to the fort at Port Royal where they served as the second line of defense In Baldwin Florida 21 miles from Jacksonville the unit was attacked suddenly by a Confederate cavalry force The soldiers easily defeated the Confederates which proved to their officers that they were just as skilled and reliable as any other infantry In Manchester the regiment and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry succeeded in an attack on the flank of Confederate forces putting them in disorder Then the regiment was attacked by 200 Confederates and caused many casualties to the enemy The Confederates came to a truce to be informed that Generals Robert E Lee and Joseph E Johnston had surrendered the war was over This was the regiment s last battle they served occupation duty until they were called together and were mustered out of service on September 30 1865 The regiment returned to Detroit where it was disbanded on October 17 1865 Strength and casualties editThe total enrollment in the 102nd Regiment was 1 446 6 people were killed in action 5 people died of wounds and 129 people died of disease Notable members editCharles L Barrell Medal Of Honor 1st Lieutenant 102nd US Colored Infantry b 1842 d 1914 from Michigan Citation Hazardous service in marching through the enemy s country to bring relief to his command Marcus Dale Commissary Seargent Company C 4 See also edit nbsp American Civil War portal List of United States Colored Troops Civil War UnitsReferences editAlkalimat Abdul 2004 The African American Experience in Cyberspace Pluto Press https www nps gov civilwar search battle units detail htm battleUnitCode UUS0102RI00C Brennan James First Michigan Colored Regiment Available online at https web archive org web 20150628024930 http www michmarkers com startup asp startpage S0288 htm 1991 2007 Cahill Edward F and Henry Barnes Edward F Cahill Collection 1863 This collection is made up of letters and documents related to Edward F Cahill s involvement with the 102nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment during and immediately after the Civil War Included are 3 contracts made between freedmen and their former owners near Edisto River and Orangeburg South Carolina in 1865 Dunn William A History of the First Michigan Colored Regiment Thesis M A Central Michigan University 1967 1967 First Michigan Colored Regiment Sponsored by the Detroit Branch Association for the Study of Negro Life and history Historic plaque located on the grounds of Duffield Elementary School the original site of Camp Ward Detroit Harvey Don amp Lois 1st Regiment Michigan Volunteer Infantry Available online at https web archive org web 20030623083201 http www michiganinthewar org infantry 1stcol htm MacRae Cordella Emma Ribbron and Doris Byrd Civil War Veterans of the 102nd United States Colored Troops the First Michigan Colored Regiment Buried in Elmwood Cemetery Detroit Michigan Detroit Mich 5201 Woodward Ave Detroit 48202 Fred Hart Williams Genealogical Society 1990 Nelson Wilbur and Gaylord Nelson Wilbur Nelson 1864 This collection consists of Nelson s war diaries several transcriptions a narrative describing Nelson s war experiences and a muster roll Nelson wrote his diaries in shorthand Included are his original diary for 1864 typed and handwritten transcriptions of the 1864 diary and a typed transcription of Nelson s diary for 1865 the original is not included in the collection The narrative written by Nelson s grandson Gaylord Nelson is based on Wilbur Nelson s diary for 1863 and his correspondence which are not included in the collection The muster roll for Company J 102nd Regiment U S Colored Troops dated February 14 1864 lists the name age and rank of Nelson s soldiers Sleight William E David D Anderson and Jno Robertson Lieutenant William E Sleight and the 102nd Regiment U S Colored Infantry in the Civil War East Lansing Mich Midwestern Press the Center for the Study of Midwestern Literature and Culture 2003 Smith Michael O The First Michigan Colored Infantry A Black Regiment in the Civil War Thesis M A Wayne State University 1987 1987 United States and Kenneth L Cole Join and Support the First Michigan Colored Infantry Volunteers Lansing Mich First Michigan Colored Infantry Volunteers 1987 Notes edit Wilson Joseph Thomas 1890 The Black Phalanx pg 476 1 Archived 2024 04 22 at the Wayback Machine First Michigan Colored Regiment Archived 2015 01 30 at the Wayback Machine National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors Database M589 Roll 21 Film C 101 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 102nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment amp oldid 1223266726, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
