Introduction
| Introduction to the United States Colored Regiments Memorial Project The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861, with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. At the outset, African American men were prohibited by federal law from enlisting in the Union Army. President Abraham Lincoln, concerned about border state loyalty and the political consequences of arming Black men, initially resisted their inclusion in Union ranks. Yet from the war’s earliest days, free Black men and formerly enslaved men sought the right to fight—not only for the preservation of the Union, but for freedom, citizenship, and dignity. A turning point came on January 1, 1863, when the Emancipation Proclamation took effect. In the months before and after its issuance, African American men were already being organized into military units in Union-held areas of the South under federal authority, and Northern states had begun raising their own Black regiments. Soon after, on May 22, 1863, the War Department issued General Order No. 143, establishing the Bureau of Colored Troops, which standardized the recruitment and organization of Black soldiers under the designation United States Colored Troops (USCT). Though under racially segregated conditions, African American men could now enlist in large numbers under a centralized system, transforming the character and strength of the Union war effort. These soldiers fought two wars simultaneously: one against the Confederacy to end slavery and preserve the Union, and another against entrenched racism within the very army they served. They endured segregation, inferior assignments, and constant humiliation and were often relegated to fatigue duty and labor details. They earned $10 per month and charged $3 for clothing leaving them with only $7 net pay, while white soldiers received $13per month plus a clothing allowance. In June 1864, Congress increased white soldier’s pay to $16 per month. Only after sustained protest by Black troops and their allies were Black soldiers granted equal pay—often retroactive to their enlistment. Despite this progress, opportunities for promotion were extremely limited as the Black regiments were led by white commissioned officers. Their risks were also greater. The Confederate government threatened captured Black soldiers with execution or enslavement, refusing to treat them as legitimate prisoners of war. The Emancipation Proclamation did not apply to slaveholding border states, placing many at risk of re-enslavement if captured. Despite these dangers, African American soldiers demonstrated extraordinary bravery in combat and discipline in service, gradually earning the respect of many white Union troops. By war’s end, nearly 180,000 Black men had served in the Army consisting of approximately 90,000 formerly enslaved men from Confederate states, roughly 45,000 from border states, and about 35,000 were free men from northern states, and another 20,000 in the Navy—an indispensable force in securing Union victory. President Lincoln himself later acknowledged that without Black soldiers, the Union cause would have been weaker and likely to have not ended in victory. Nineteen African American men known to be connected to Windsor, Connecticut answered that call to serve in regiments including the Connecticut 29th Colored Infantry Regiment, 31st United States Colored Troops, the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment, the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Regiment Colored, and in the U.S. Navy. They were either buried in Windsor, lived in Windsor, or were credited to Windsor, which helped the state meet its enlistment quotas. Their service represented not only military duty, but a profound declaration of manhood, citizenship, and commitment to a nation that had not recognized their humanity. Though they served under a segregated system marked by inequality and injustice, these men persevered with valor, intelligence, and unwavering resolve. Nine of the nineteen veterans’ burial sites are known to be in two Windsor cemeteries; most in the rear sections—quiet reminders of sacrifices too long overlooked. The Windsor Freedom Trail Committee desired to bring their stories into fuller view, while also providing an educational resource for schools, the community, and for families interested in ancestral research. In collaboration with historian John Mills, a certified genealogy researcher and founder of the Alex Breanne Corporation, the following biographies and regiment summaries are presented to honor of these men. |