27th USCT: A Black Regiment from Ohio & A Miscarriage of Justice

This post is part of a series of scrapbooks I am creating on African American regiments that served in the Civil War. These are not “regimental histories” and I invite anyone with additional information on the regiment to include it in the comments along with the source.
27th usct flag.JPG

Flag of the 27th USCT

The 27th United States Colored Troops Regiment was the second black regiment organized in Ohio. The state government of Ohio was slow to organize black regiments and the first African Americans from the state to join the Union army from Ohio were those who enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts in the early months of 1863.

The 27th was not organized until January of 1864. It first saw action during the Overland Campaign. Here is the synopsis of the regiment’s service from Dyer:

Ordered to Annapolis, Md. Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River, Va., May-June 1864. Guarded supply trains of the Army of the Potomac through the Wilderness. Before Petersburg June 15-19. Siege of Petersburg and Richmond June 16 to December 7, 1864. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30, 1864. Weldon Railroad August 18-21. Poplar Grove Church September 29-30, and October 1. Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run, October 27-28. On the Bermuda front until December 1. 1st Expedition to Fort Fisher, N.C., December 7-27. 2nd Expedition to Fort Fisher, N.C., January 7-15, 1865. Bombardment of Fort Fisher January 13-15. Assault and capture of Fort Fisher January 15. Sugar Loaf Hill January 19. Federal Point February 11. Fort Anderson February 18-20. Capture of Wilmington February 22. Northeast Ferry February 22. Carolinas Campaign March 1-April 26. Advance on Kinston and Goldsboro March 6-21. Cox’s Bridge March 23-24. Advance on Raleigh April 9-14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett’s House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. Duty in the Department of North Carolina until September.

Guidon of the 27th USCT:

27th usct guidon.JPG

There is a recent scholarly history of the 27th USCT called “For Their Own Cause.” I used the book extensively in putting this scrapbook together. Here is my review:

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/fo…y-kelly-mezurek-a-black-ohio-regiment.138659/

Kelly Mezurek, the author of For Their Own Cause, is the leading academic scholar on the 27th USCT. Here is what she wrote about the composition of the regiment:

The majority of men who served in the 27th USCT tended to be young, with reported ages that ranged from seventeen to forty-five. There were soldiers who exaggerated their age, including at least two who were sixteen and another who was only fourteen….The 27th mustered in eighty soldiers who stated their ages were between forty and forty-five.

For the most part, though, the men’s ages in the 27th were fairly representative of all Northern soldiers and all USCT. The average recorded age in the regiment at enlistment was almost twenty-five years. Just over 43.5 percent of the soldiers reported their age as twenty-one and under, and only 21.6 percent said they were thirty and over. The most common age stated at muster in was eighteen. General statistics for the USCT overall indicate an average age of just under twenty-six years, with 26 percent aged thirty and over, and the most frequent age at enlistment was eighteen. For comparison, Northern soldiers as a whole had a medium age of twenty-four years by 1864, with 40 percent under the age of twenty-one and 25 percent aged thirty years and over. The largest single age group when recruited for all Union men was also eighteen years of age. [From: Mezurek, Kelly D.. For Their Own Cause: The 27th United States Colored Troops (Civil War in the North) (Kindle Locations 1054-1057). Kent State University Press. Kindle Edition.}

More on the backgrounds of the men in the regiment from Professor Mezurek:

The soldiers’ prewar domestic lives differed slightly from those of the average Northerner, white or USCT. Most men in the 27th lived in rural areas or small towns, reflecting both the state’s black population and the nation as well. Overall, more blacks were native born than were white Northern troops. [Id. Kindle Locations 1067-1069]

Over 99% of the men in the regiment were native-born. The five men from outside the U.S. were all Canadians. 27% of the men were born in Ohio. 4% were born in other Free States. 48% of the men were listed as “laborers” before they enlisted. Another 39% were farmers or farm laborers. 16% of the men in the 27th were paid substitutes. The substitutes could make 300 dollars for agreeing to substitute for a white man seeking to avoid the draft. 3.5% of the men of the 27th were draftees.

According to Professor Mezurek, several factors retarded the recruitment of the 27th.

1. The 54th and 55th Mass had already recruited in the state before the regiment was organized. Other states’ USCT regiments had also recruited in Ohio. An estimated 3,000 black Ohioans had joined out of state outfits before the 27th began recruiting.
2. The discriminatory pay rate.
3. Even unskilled black laborers could make more money as a day labor than they would earn as a black soldier in the army.
4. In 1864 Whites could receive a $100 bounty that blacks were ineligible for.

Professor Mezurek, author of the new regimental history of the 27th, points out that the regiment was chronically short of officers. Like other black regiments, all the officers were white. This meant that officers were not elected by the men, and that if an officer was killed or wounded he could not be replaced by promoting a man from the ranks.

The initial organization of the regiment was hindered by the slowness in appointing officers to it. While the regiment needed 35 officers, by the end of February, 1864 there were only eight serving with the regiment. It was not until March 24, 1864 that Lt. Col. Albert M. Blackman arrived to take command of the 27th.

Albert Blackman:

albert blackman.JPG

A quarter of the officers had no prior military experience before joining the 27th.

At least five of the officers were immigrants. One each came from Poland, Germany, and England. Two were from Ireland. Irish-born Lt. Col. John W. Donnellan eventually took command of the regiment.

[Source of stats: Mezurek, Kelly D.. For Their Own Cause: The 27th United States Colored Troops (Civil War in the North) (Kindle Location 1841). Kent State University Press. Kindle Edition.]

In April, the 27th moved by rail and steamer to Virginia to join Burnside’s IX Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Along the way, men in Pittsburg had thrown stones at one of the companies and in Baltimore they had been cheered by a crowd. On April 25 they marched past Lincoln who reviewed them from a balcony at the Willard Hotel in Washington.

They were placed in Ferrero’s Fourth Division, an almost all-black division. Ferrero had not had military experience before the war, apart from teaching West Pointers how to dance. He was an early joiner of the Union army and quickly rose to command a regiment. He had a generally good record from 1861 through 1863.

In May, 1864, Ferrero brigaded the 27th with his First Brigade under Joshua Siegfried. On May 4th and 5th Ferrero’s division moved towards the Wilderness. The black regiments were near the fighting at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, but were in the role of guarding supply trains against possible cavalry attacks. Over the next week, the regiment encountered fire from pickets and guerrillas. The 27th was not in an advantageous position. Its commander Lt. Col. Blackman was back in Ohio on a recruiting mission and three of its companies had not yet joined it. In early June, the 27th and the other regiments helped to liberate 500 slaves. After this, the 27th was finally moved to the front at Petersburg.

Over the next month, the 27th was put to work building the Union defenses at Petersburg. Black units did a disproportionate amount of this dirty, backbreaking, work.

petersburg.JPG

USCT at Petersburg.

On July 30, 1864 the men of the 27th were awakened and told to have breakfast. At 4:45 AM the explosion was detonated and the massive Crater was created. Union artillery opened fire at 5:30AM. At 6:00AM the 27th moved into the covered way that was used as an approach to the battle. They stayed there for an hour. At 7:30AM, the 27th got the order to go into battle. Because the brigades that had gone in earlier had become a confused mass at the Crater, the black regiments were blocked by their own comrades and only made progress around 8AM. The 43rd USCT led the way, followed by two other black regiments, with the 27th fourth in line. The 27th went into their first real battle without their commander.

Immigrant artist Alfred Waud sketched the advance of USCT from the covered way and past fortifications on their way to the Crater:

waud usct petersburg.JPG
The black regiments initially moved left toward Cemetery Hill. Heavy fire, and lack of strong leadership, led them to drift right towards the Crater. The men of the 27th moved past the Crater on its left side, and pushed on to the Confederate trenches. Mahone’s counterattack drove back those black troops who had advanced past the Confederate trenches. Captain Wright, who assumed command, was able to keep some discipline in the regiment and led most of the men out of the trap at the Crater, with the result that the 27th did not suffer the catastrophic casualties that other regiments that sought shelter in the Crater did.

Mahone’s Counterattack:

Mahone's counter.JPG

At 9:45AM Meade called off further advances, essentially conceding the failure of the attempt. Fighting, however, would continue throughout the day as Union troops caught in the Crater attempted to extricate themselves.

According to Kelly Mezurek the toll in the regiment was:

twelve soldiers killed in action, two more who died later as a result of their injuries, and sixty-four wounded. In the confusion that followed, over thirty men were initially reported as missing in action, all but eight of whom were later accounted for by their officers. The other twenty-two, who had been taken to hospitals, eventually returned to their companies. Records confirm that rebels captured at least six men who became prisoners of war. The black regiment from Ohio also lost three officers killed, two wounded, and one taken prisoner of war. On August 8 the number of casualties grew when Capt. Alfred W. Pinney died after surgeons amputated his injured arm. [Mezurek, Kelly D.. For Their Own Cause: The 27th United States Colored Troops (Civil War in the North) (Kindle Locations 2654-2659). Kent State University Press. Kindle Edition.]

In August of 1864 hundreds of newly recruited men were sent to the 27th from Ohio as replacements. More men arrived in September. On September 20, the regiment had 1,100 men in it, although 250 were unavailable. This embarrassment of riches led the army to move 95 of the men to other regiments.

The 27th participated in skirmishing throughout September and October and in the First Battle of Hatchers Run at the end of October, 1864. When election day came in November, at least one soldier voted for Lincoln. Ohio law allowed men of color of less than 50% African ancestry to vote. At the end of November, the 27th became part of the newly created XXV Corps made up of USCT. The corps was commanded by German immigrant Godfrey Weitzel.
In early 1865 the 27th was transferred to Terry’s Provisional Army Corps Dept. of North Carolina for operations against Fort Fisher.
At 7AM on January 15, the Union fleet opened on Fort Fisher. In the afternoon, 1950 sailors and marines attacked Fort Fisher from the seaward side. 4,000 soldiers attacked from the landward side. Confederate General Bragg belatedly sent two brigades to try to relieve the fort, but they were beaten back. Inside Fort Fisher there were only 1,500 Confederates. When the 27th finally made it into the fort at 9:45PM, they found that it had been abandoned by its defenders. The 27th joined other Union regiments in pursuit of the escaping Confederates.
According to Mezurek:

Blackman sent a detachment of six men under the command of Adj. Albert G. Jones to circle around the battery. Stunned Confederates, who found retreat impossible, watched in the bright moonlight as General Whiting asked, “To whom have I the honor of surrendering with my forces?” Jones said, “To General Blackman, of the 27th United States Colored Troops.” [Mezurek, Kelly D.. For Their Own Cause: The 27th United States Colored Troops (Civil War in the North) (Kindle Locations 3206-3208). Kent State University Press. Kindle Edition.]

The 27th now took control of hundreds of surrendered Confederate soldiers. Jones wrote later: “the very thought of surrendering to colored troops was like gall and wormwood to them; but such was the fate of war, and the master was compelled to march behind the bayonet held in the hands of a former slave.”

Map of Fort Fisher. The 27th was on the landward side:

fort fisher.JPG
On February 10, the 27th joined in Schofield’s move to capture Wilmington, NC. This was the first time many of Schofield’s Westerners saw USCT in action. The Confederates finally abandoned Wilmington on Feb. 21 and the 27th was among the regiments that marched into the city the next day. Retreating Confederates had destroyed many of the buildings, but the troops were in a celebratory mood and sang John Brown’s Body as now-liberated slaves greeted them with food and tobacco.

On February 26, the men of the 27th assisted newly freed Union prisoners. The entire regiment turned out to prepare food for the former POWs who were in shockingly emaciated conditions.

On Feb. 27, 1865 Lt. Col. Donnellan, who had been badly wounded at Hatcher’s Run, returned to the regiment and Blackman took leave. Donnellan would soon formally take command of the regiment. Unfortunately for Donnellan, he soon found out that Blackman had been a terrible record keeper and his first days in command were spent rounding up missing muster rolls for Gen. Terry.

Now part of Sherman’s forces, the 27th moved towards Goldsboro. Sherman saw black troops under his command more as laborers than as combatants. Throughout April the 27th participated in the pursuit of Johnson’s army.

The surrender of Joe Johnson’s army ended the 27th USCT’s wartime service. The regiment now took on the role of being part of North Carolina’s occupation force. On June 23, 1865 Lt. Col. Donnellan wrote that many of his men had not been paid since August, 1864. The men of the 27th were also dissatisfied that while much of the army was being demobilized, they were still serving.

Over the summer, many of the regiment’s officers either left the service or were assigned to occupation duties away from the regiment. The regiment was finally mustered out on September 21, 1865.

When the men returned to Ohio, they initially went to Camp Chase where they were paid off. They the went to the state house for a final ceremony before going home. While many African Americans assembled on their behalf at the state house, only one Republican official was there. A preacher spoke warning the men that many whites wanted to expel the black population from Ohio. He told them they might have to use their rifles later to defend their communities. This then was the end of the 27th USCT. They had helped win freedom, but they still had to struggle for full citizenship and respect.

The veterans of the 27th resumed civilian life in a state seriously divided over race. In 1867, Ohio ratified the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. A year later, the legislature tried to rescind that ratification. When the legislature first took up the ratification of the 15th Amendment, the legislature initially rejected it in 1869. It would not ratify until 1870.

In the campaigns for the two amendments, Republicans used the sacrifice of the 5th USCT and the 27th as justifications for ratification.

In 1870, Circleville, Ohio election officials blocked blacks from voting. Four veterans of the 27th were among the African Americans who organized a petition to Senator John Sherman and Representative John Bingham demanding Federal assistance in protecting black suffrage.

The last Ohio anti-black laws were not repealed until 1886.

When a veterans’ home was opened in Sandusky, USCT demanded to be admitted on an equal basis. About 3% of the men provided housing there were black.

According to For Their Own Cause, 5.2% of the veterans of the 27th USCT sought the help of Ohio’s soldiers’ homes. This is roughly the same percentage as white Ohio vets.

Black vets were also eligible for the same pensions as white veterans, however, while 52% of white veterans applied, only 32% of black vets nationally applied.

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) veterans’ organization was one of the few national organizations that was racially integrated after the war. When some GAR posts blackballed members, the national leadership warned that blocking veterans from joining based on race was not only against the rules, it was unpatriotic.

From For Their Own Cause:

The veterans’ sense of brotherhood often proved more important than race in Ohio; a number of men from the 27th USCT joined integrated GAR posts. Although it was not as common in other Northern states, in the Midwest more black veterans joined interracial posts. Ohio, for example, had almost sixty racially mixed chapters, and within these organizations African American men participated as political and social equals. In 1892 W. A. Brand Post 98, of Urbana, included at least six black veterans in its membership, and Eugene Reynolds Post 441, in Bellefontaine, and Austin Post 403, in Cleveland, both included white and black comrades. Between 1889 and 1895, 50 percent of the black GAR members from Ohio who died came from racially mixed posts. Five of the deceased men had served in the 27th, belonging to posts in Miami County, Melrose, Waverly, Bellefontaine, and Elyria. Of the deaths reported until 1914, only one man of the 27th who died came from an all-black post, P. C. Daniels Post 500, in Xenia. [Mezurek, Kelly D.. For Their Own Cause: The 27th United States Colored Troops (Civil War in the North) (Kindle Locations 5042-5047). Kent State University Press. Kindle Edition.]

The struggle continued through the Jim Crow era as the men of the 27th saw their hard-won rights taken away from them. Simpson Younger was a member of Company A. After the war he went to Oberlin College and became the first black college baseball player. He also became one-half of a Missouri Supreme Court decision- the losing half. He and a female companion had purchased orchestra seats at a theater. When they presented their tickets, they were told that they had to sit in the balcony because they were Black. You need to read this decision to see what Black veterans were up against, particularly in a former “Slave State” like Missouri. In the case of Younger v. Judah (1892) the Missouri Supreme Court ruled:

The evidence discloses these facts: After the plaintiff had purchased the tickets as alleged, he and his companion, a colored woman, passed up a flight of stairs. An employee, stationed at the upper landing, received the tickets, detached portions of them, and handed the seat-coupons back to the plaintiff. He and the woman passed to the orchestra floor, where he gave the seat-coupons to an usher, and they all three started toward the seats. On their way, this usher was met by another one, and the two had a conversation. Plaintiff in his evidence says they held a “whispered confab for a few minutes,” that during this conversation he overheard the word “n*gger,” that one of the ushers informed him that he could not have the seats, that there had been some mistake. After a further conversation the usher said: “You cannot stay here; it is against the rules.” The usher then proposed to exchange the tickets for others and seat him in a different part of the house, and for that purpose started up to the balcony, but the plaintiff refused to follow.

As to what then occurred, the plaintiff testified: “I went on down to the box office and presented the tickets to the person who sold them to me, and asked him why I could not have the seats. He seemed to be indignant and said, ‘You can have them.’ He looked at me again and I suppose he discovered that drop of African blood in me and said, ‘It is a mistake; those seats are occupied.’ ” The person in charge of the ticket office offered to exchange the tickets for tickets in the balcony or refund the money paid by plaintiff, but the latter refused both offers…

The tickets for seats in the orchestra were sold to plaintiff on the supposition that they were to be used by white persons. This is evident. It is clear too that defendant had a rule to the effect that colored persons attending his place of amusement should occupy sears in the balcony; and the only real question in this case is, whether he had a right to make and enforce such, a rule. If lie had, the plaintiff has no cause of action.

It is earnestly insisted on behalf of the plaintiff that such a rule amounts to discrimination against colored persons, and that such discrimination is prohibited by the fourteenth amendment of the constitution of the United States. The clauses of that amendment relied upon by the plaintiff are those whereby it is declared that “no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities of the citizens of the United States, * * * nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” These clauses do not undertake to confer new rights, nor do they undertake to regulate individual rights. They are simply prohibitory of state legislation and of state action. All this was held and ruled in the Civil Rights Cases, 109 U. S. 3. As there stated “individual invasion of individual rights is not the subject-matter of the amendment.”

…When colored persons attend theaters and other places of amusement, conducted and carried on by white persons, custom assigns to them separate seats. Such separation does not necessarily assert or imply inferiority on the part of one or the other. It does no more than work out natural laws and race peculiarities. It ordinarily contributes to the convenience and comfort of both. The colored man has and is entitled to have all the rights of a citizen, but it cannot be said’ that equality of rights means identity in all respects. Here the defendant did not exclude or attempt to exclude colored persons from his theater. He provided accommodations for them, but in doing so required them to purchase tickets for and take seats in the balcony, and this rule adopted by him accord-s with the custom and usage prevailing in this state. Such custom has the force and effect of law until some competent legislative power shall establish some other and different rule. The defendant’s rule was no more than a reasonable regulation which he had a right to make and enforce.

The judgment is, therefore, affirmed.

All concur.

The University of Virginia Library offers a roster of Company H of the 27th USCT online:

https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=uva-sc/viu01444.xml

ROSTER, COMPANY H, 27TH UNITED STATES COLORED TROOPS CAMP CASEY, VIRGINIA, JUNE 30, 1864
NameRankDate EnrolledPlace of EnrollmentAlfred W. Pinney / Captain / April 1, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Archibald J. Sampson / 1st Lieutenant / April 1, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
James W. Shuffleton / 2nd Lieutenant / April 1, 1864 / Columbus, OhioSergeantsJames W. Bray / Sergeant / May 14, 1864 / Bellefontaine, Ohio
James H. Qualls / Sergeant / May 4, 1864 / Berlin, Ohio
William W. McGill / Sergeant / May 2, 1864 / Camp Delaware, Ohio
James Browell / Sergeant / April 9, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Dock Hatchet / Sergeant / April 19, 1864 / Camp DelawareCorporalsCharles Taylor / Corporal / April 6, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Frederick Gaskins / Corporal / April 4, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Daniel Mischal / Corporal / May 28, 1864 / Scioto, Ohio
William Curtis / Corporal / April 14, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
William J. Thompson / Corporal / May 4, 1864 / Berlin, Ohio
Charles W. A. Henderson Corporal / March 29, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
John Gillespie / Corporal / April 22, 1864 / Camp Delaware
Alfred Harris / Corporal / May 12, 1864 / Columbus, OhioPrivatesAlexander, William / Private / May 12, 1864 / 1st [Congressional District of Ohio]
Alexander, Henry / Private / May 30, 1864 / 18th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Adams, Stephen / Private / April 9, 1864 / Gallipolis
Bruce, James / Private / April 22, 1864 / Camp Delaware
Bascone(?), Henry / Private / April 22, 1864 / Camp Delaware
Bincus, William H. / Private / May 4, 1864 / Smithfield
Brunston, Samuel / Private / March 31, 1864 / Smithfield
Byas, William / Private / May 16, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Bell, Thomas / Private / May 12, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Blanchard, Charles / Private / May 16, 1864 / 16th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Bryan, Loderick / Private / May 27, 1864 / 16th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Brown, William / Private / May 16, 1864 / 2nd [Congressional District of Ohio]
Black, James / Private / May 13, 1864 / 11th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Brooks, Randall / Private / March 29, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Crable, John / Private / March 29, 1864 / 2nd [Congressional District of Ohio]
Casberry, Richard / Private / April 22, 1864 / Camp Delaware
Carter, Major / Private / April 24, 1864 / Leesburgh
Chambers, Reuben / Private / March 29, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Denis, Anderson / Private / May 18, 1864 / 1st [Congressional District of Ohio]
Dickey, Edmund / Private / April 9, 1864 / Greenfield, Ohio
Ellison, Isaiah / Private / May 28, 1864 / 9th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Fleruen(?), Edmond F. / Private / May 28, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Fisher, Isaac / Private / February 29, 1864 / Greenfield, Ohio
Fields, Grandison / Private / April 20, 1864 / Camp Delaware
Goode, George H. / Private / March 29, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Gautz, George / Private / April 22, 1864 / Camp Delaware
Griffee, James / Private / April 22, 1864 / Camp Delaware
Graves, David / Private / May 28, 1864 / Scioto, Ohio
Hathway, Dock / Private / April 22, 1864 / Camp Delaware
Hiwarden, Abraham / Private / April 11, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Hughes, George W. / Private / May 28, 1864 / Scioto, Ohio
Harrison, Jordon / Private / May 18, 1864 / 8th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Hill, Mathew / Private / May 18, 1864 / 12th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Johnson, John / Private / May 11, 1864 / 8th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Johnson, James / Private / May 27, 1864 / 2nd [Congressional District of Ohio]
Johnson, Alexander / Private / May 7, 1864 / Berlin, Ohio
Jamenson(?), Albert / Private / May 17, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Lucas, William / Private / May 17, 1864 / 16th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Legander(?), Elleck / Private / April 2, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio [Note: Comment indicates that Legander is not correct & should be Alexander instead.]
Miller, Philip / Private / May 12, 1864 / 12th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Murry, Jacob / Private / March 30, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
McRice, Eugene / Private / February 26, 1864 / Not Listed
Moore, Hamilton / Private / May 17, 1864 / Bellefontaine, Ohio
Markam, John / Private / April 2, 1864 / Delaware, Ohio
Nelson, Moses / Private / April 22, 1864 / Camp Delaware, Ohio
Philips, John W. / Private / May 21, 1864 / 9th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Payne, Jesse A. / Private / May 12, 1864 / 12th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Payne, Thomas / Private / May 12, 1864 / 12th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Payne, Americus / Private / May 14, 1864 / 11th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Ross, James H. / Private / April 14, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Roberts, John / Private / April 20, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Reed, Samuel / Private / May 13, 1864 / Camp Delaware, Ohio
Rodgers, Robert / Private / March 28, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Sampson, William H. / Private / May 24, 1864 / 10th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Steptoe, William H. / Private / May 12, 1864 / 12th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Scott, James E. / Private / May 28, 1864 / Scioto, Ohio
Strange, Reuben / Private / May 2, 1864 / Columbus, Ohio
Smith, Alvin / Private / April 27, 1864 / Byrd, Ohio
Simpson, Thomas / Private / April 6, 1864 / Cleveland, Ohio
Stokes, Wesley / Private / April 21, 1864 / Cincinnati, Ohio
Taylor, Green / Private / May 25, 1864 / 9th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Wyatt, Robert / Private / May 14, 1864 / 1st [Congressional District of Ohio]
Wright, James / Private / May 14, 1864 / 11th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Webster, Henry / Private / May 13, 1864 / 7th [Congressional District of Ohio]
Wilson, Moses / Private / May 30, 1864 / 1st [Congressional District of Ohio]
Williams, George / Private / May 27, 1864 / 1st [Congressional District of Ohio]
Wilson, Lewis J. / Private / May 13, 1864 / Camp Delaware, Ohio
Washington, George / Private / April 22, 1864 / Camp Delaware, Ohio
Wooley, Henry / Private / April 21, 1864 / Cincinnati, Ohio
Here is a blog on the 27th USCT. Unfortunately it appears to have only been active for a short while:
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Author: Patrick Young

12 thoughts on “27th USCT: A Black Regiment from Ohio & A Miscarriage of Justice

  1. Curious if you are still interested in info on the 27th usct? I have a promotion document for a Anthony Johnson. Wondering if he is being confused with Andrew Johnson. He is listed in the official records as mustering out as a private in the 27th. He was promoted to corporal in Aug. 1864 @ Gurley house Va.

  2. A major, major USCT (Civil War – Unites States Colored Troops) research tool has just been added to the Camp William Penn website (Database and Archive). Every USCT soldier of the Camp William Penn regiments has his own computer folder, 18,000 folders, 400,000 documents. Every soldier’s military file. Some of the soldier’s photo, death certificate, grave location, gravestone photo, stories, genealogy and more. A major new development in USCT genealogical and historical research.
    CROHL – Civil War Directory – Google Drive

    1. I have over a dozen ancestors who entered several USCT Regiments at Camp William Penn including GGrandfather, his father and many GGUncles. I’ll definitely check out the site you referenced. Thanks for sharing!

  3. My 3rd Great Grandfather served with the men. After the war he went on to practice medicine for 50 years in Kansas. The information below are direct words from some of his letters home to the family during the war. We still have the original letters within the family. The very last paragraph is very touching and embodies a very patriotic feeling for me.

    ——

    Matthew Ritchie Mitchell served in the Union Army in the Civil War. At the time of these letters he was the Captain of the 27th U.S. Division of Colored troops 1st Brigade, 3rd Division. Here are some letters he wrote home in 1864. These were copied by his granddaughter Ruth Mitchell Scott and she gave copies to me.

    First I will share a letter he wrote March 25, 1926 describing his Civil War Service:

    “I enlisted as a private soldier soon after I graduated from Old Jefferson College, Canonburg, Penn. In 1862. Was soon promoted to office of Corporal, then to Sargent, 1st Lieutenant, then to Captain commanding Company H. Then to office of Major commanding the Regiment. Was in the service a little more than three years. Was in a Bloody Battle near to Petersburg, VA in 1864, July 31. Was shot in the face the ball entered the left cheek and out at the right cheek. Upper jaw was fractured, some teeth knocked out and was taken to hospital. Was in Battle at Fort Fisher on the coast of North Carolina at mouth of Cape Fear River. Then several skirmishes in other points in the south. I practiced medicine in Kansas nearly 50 years.

    Letter Matthew Ritchie Mitchell wrote home to his father during War.

    Headquarters ‘27th U.S. Co. Wilmington, N.C. 1864

    Father: I now take the opportunity to notify you that I have sent home $200- two hundred dollars by our former quartermaster who left for Ohio on Thursday last. He will carry it to Cleveland and then express it from there to you. He has resigned on surgeon’s certificate and has gone home as a citizen. He was N.A. Gray, sometimes know as Deacon Gray. Not much of an officer, a good jolly companion however, and we shall miss him considerably, a kind of favorite with the boys. During his farewell speech, they cheered him heartily.
    The weather has not been too hot the last few days. A very pleasant sea breeze blowing makes it rather pleasant. We are situated about 7 miles from the ocean.
    Our Brigade of colored troops are still doing provost duty – guarding Government property. A military force will be needed there for some time.
    The people have not sense enough to govern themselves, and if they even possessed the requisite intelligence, the two classes, white and black would be constantly fighting with one another, Nothing but impartial military justice can secure justice.
    Efforts are being made by some of the citizens to have the troops moved and civil authority set up. This will probably be experimented with soon but I don’t think such a plan will operate successfully.
    I received a letter last night from Maggie (his sister) stating that the boys were home. This is fine for them. They are doubtless not sorry to get out of the service and get home to their wives and families.
    Remember me to all
    M.R. Mitchell
    May 27, U.S. CO 27

    Here is another letter written to his mother from his camp in the field in Virginia.

    September 11, 1864
    This is a fine light morning. Camp is lively and cheerful. The boys keep quite a roar with their laughter and gab. I have just eaten my breakfast after quite a big one such as you know I am accustomed to eat. Perhaps you would like to know what I had for breakfast. Well I had coffee, sugar and cream, warm cakes buttered, beef steak, and boiled onions. So you perceive mother that I am not likely to die of starvation.
    We have been in this place about 2 weeks, much longer than we have been accustomed to remain in one place. Our Division occupies the extreme left of the line yet. Some time ago we expected the rebs to make an attack near the point. So we fortified strongly and we are now able to hold it against a large host of rebels. Our camp is pleasantly situated. We have constructed pretty comfortable quarters.
    We occupy one of the old Virginia farms, but it don’t look much like a farm now. I got some brick from the chimney of a demolished house and had me a little chimney built at the end of my tent. So a little fire made of pinewood is very cheerful and comfortable mornings and evenings. We have had two or three frosts yet.
    My little darkie boy, a sprightly lad, gets wood, builds our fires, carries water and the like. So you can see I am becoming aristocratic. My living is not costing me much now.
    I have two lieutenants in my Company and we occupy the same tent. They are pretty cheerful and have some pretty lively discussions.
    There is no certainty as the the length of time we shall continue here. So may receive marching orders to move out any moment. We hardly think there will be any more big fights until the Election comes off. But if no evacuation takes place, there will be a big dash one of these times. The army continues confident and in good spirits.
    The Rebel pickets are anxious to exchange papers and get the news from the North and evidently looking on with anxiety wanting the results of the Campaign.
    I received a letter from John a few days ago stating the safe arrival of my money.
    As ever you son, Mr. R. Mitchell

    The next letter was written after he returned to the field following his stay in the hospital after his injury on August 1st.

    Dear folks,
    I took passage on a boat at Washington City on Saturday last at 2 O’Clock P.M. I had a pleasant voyage. Got to City Point on Sabbath Eve at 4 P.M.
    Since I left they have constructed a R.R., from City Point to the Weldon Road. It is of immense value to our military operation, in the way of transporting supplies along our line. It runs near the line a distance of 15 miles between City Point and to Weldon Road, stopping at different stations and putting off goods & soldiers. City Point has become one of the great depots not exceeded perhaps as to business in some of the great cities of the North. Oh! The immense supplies for man & horse and the implements of death to carry on the War. What a busy throng of darkey and white men. I put the darkey first because I am among them.
    Well I arrived at the position of my regiment last night about 11 O’Clock! Hunted up a blanket and tumbled in for a sunrise. Waked up this A.M. fresh and vigorous. I tell you this service makes warm friends. They all appeared glad to see me & I was glad to meet them.
    Our surgeons both tell that they had no idea I would recover to get back so soon and look so well. They say many men more lightly wounded than I was are not back yet. The officers & me all seem to be in the best of spirits. The regiment is now recruited up to 1100 men. They are now lying behind strong breastworks. Not far from the Weldon Road. They are engaged now in building 2 or 3 forts in the vicinity. I do not think there is much appearance of our getting into a fight here at present. Yet we cannot tell when a strike might be made. It is a little similar to a Quaker meeting. The spirit moves very suddenly sometimes.
    The doctor tells me that the regiment is in a very good state of health at present. They have not had much rain here as yet. The weather is fine & dry now.

    They tell me the Captain of another regiment was shot dead a few days after I left in the same spot in which I was wounded. I feel that I have been very fortunate indeed more sensibly than if I had not been wounded at all.

    If I am preserved I intend getting my teeth replaced and then shall perhaps suffer little in convenience.
    My friends if I am permitted to express my feelings here, I must say as I have always felt since I entered this service that it is a noble, honorable and just cause. One in which God in his own time — and if this be true and get through this safe, I shall feel proud in having done my duty. If I fail, what is my life worth compared with the life of a nation, the security of liberty & right justice to millions of people.

    (my copy of the last letter ends here)

  4. I am a new member (actually awaiting approval to join) I am amazed with the detail provided here. I will need to re-read it for more clarity later, Do you have a similar scrapbook for the USCT 32nd Regiment ? Thanks for allowing me to read about the 27th Regiment.

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