38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment
38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment | |
---|---|
Active | January 23, 1864 – January 25, 1867 |
Country | XXV Corps (December 1864)1st Brigade, 1st Division, XXV Corps (December 1864 – January 1866) |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Col. Robert M. Hall |
The 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment was an
Service
Virginia engagements
The 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment was composed of men from St. Mary's County Maryland (both free Black tenant farmers and men who had escaped slavery) in combination with many Virginia men who had been liberated from slavery by the Union army. These two contingents constituted the 38th United States Colored Troops regiment which was organized in Virginia on January 23, 1864, and then subsequently served first at Norfolk and Portsmouth in the Department of Virginia and then served in North Carolina until June 1864, after which it was involved in operations against Petersburg and Richmond for the remainder of the war.
The regiment participated in engagements at Chaffin's Farm on September 29-September 30, Deep Bottom on October 1 and Fair Oaks on October 27-October 28, 1864.
Three Medal of Honor awardees
Three members of the 38th,
Texas
The 38th was moved to Texas between May 24 and June 6, 1865, where it would stay for the rest of its service. The unit saw duty at various points along the
.Mustering out/total losses
The 38th was mustered out on January 25, 1867, after three years of existence. The regiment lost a total of 237 men during its service; one officer and 42 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded and two officers and 192 enlisted men died of disease.
The 38th USCT is not to be confused with the 38th Infantry Regiment which was first established on 28 July 1866, as part of the
United States Colored Troops Memorial Statue
The United States Colored Troops Memorial Statue specifically mentions soldiers of the 38th USCT. The memorial is located in Lexington Park, Maryland. A group of men from that area also served in the 38th USCT, they had accompanied the Union Army into Virginia, where they were combined with a group of Virginia men who had recently been liberated from slavery.
The men from Maryland included men who had recently escaped slavery as well as a number of free Black tenant farmers from the area. Altogether these Maryland and Virginia recruits were formed into the 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment.
Two of the medal of honor recipients of the 38th were from the Maryland contingent, William H. Barnes and also James H. Harris. The informational kiosk at the memorial mentions them specifically.
The memorial also honors all of the approximately 700 African-American men from St. Mary's County, Maryland, who served in several different regiments and also on sailing ships of war or transport in the Civil War, as well as the 80 or so White St. Mary's County residents who served on the Union side, one of whom was also a medal of honor recipient.
See also
- List of United States Colored Troops Civil War Units
References
- "38th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry". Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2007-01-29.