The Massachusetts 'Colored' Infantry Units: the 54th & 55th Regiments

The Massachusetts 'Colored' Infantry Units in the Civil War

During the Civil War, Massachusetts raised two regiments of “colored” volunteers: the 54th Regiment, celebrated in the film “Glory,” and the 55th Regiment which was originally organized with an overflow of men volunteering for the 54th Regiment. In both of these regiments, men listing Massachusetts as their place of residence were in a minority. Excluding 12 men part of the field command and staff, there were 1445 enlisted men in the 54th Regiment. Of the 1445 men in the 54th Regiment only 404 enlistees or 27.95 percent listed their place of residence as Massachusetts. Volunteers arrived from other parts of the North and the South to be part of the regiment. Similarly, there were 1209 enlisted men of the 55th Regiment with only 182 volunteers or 15.06 percent of the Regiment listing towns in the Commonwealth as their place of residence.
Here is the link for the Complete Alphabetical Roster of all Men Enlisted in 54th Regiment:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0elHJjc0U2OS3lmWklJTTFhZkE/view

Here is the link for Massachusetts Men of the 54th Regiment by Place of Residence
https://drive.google.com/.../0B0elHJjc0U2ObTQzdHd.../view...

Here is the link for Alphabetical Roster of Massachusetts Men in the 55th Regiment
https://drive.google.com/.../0B0elHJjc0U2OeXMzZHp.../view...

Here is the link for a Complete Combined Alphabetical Roster of Men Serving in the 54th & 55 Regiments
https://drive.google.com/.../0B0elHJjc0U2OU0FxSG1.../view...

Glory: Enlistees from Other States in Massachusetts 'Colored' Infantry Units

Shared Glory: Men from Other States Part of the Massachusetts 'Colored' Infantry Units

During the Civil War, Massachusetts raised two regiments of “colored” volunteers: the 54th Regiment, celebrated in the film “Glory,” and the 55th Regiment which was originally organized with an overflow of men volunteering for the 54th Regiment. In both of these regiments, men listing Massachusetts as their place of residence were in a minority.  Of the 1445 men in the 54th Regiment, (excluding 12 individuals field command and staff), only 404 enlistees or 27.95 percent listed their place of residence as Massachusetts. Similarly, of the 1209 enlisted men of the 55th Regiment only 182 volunteers or 15.06 percent of the Regiment listed towns in the Commonwealth as their place of residence.

Of the combined total of enlisted men in both the 54th and 55th Regiments, 586 volunteers or 22.08 percent of 2654 enlistees were recorded as residents of Massachusetts. 

Here are reproduced the unit, whether 54th or 55th Regiment, Company, Citation Page, Enlistee’s first name, middle initial and last name, residence, age, occupation and date of enlistment.

Source: Massachusetts Adjutant General’s Office,  Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War, 8 vols.  (Norwood, Mass: Norwood Press), vol. 4: 658-714. This volume provides an alphabetical listing of the Regiments organized company by company but lacks a cumulative alphabetical roster for the entire Regiment.

Files here document the participation of men from other parts of the country, by selected states, enumerating enlistees for served in either the Massachusetts 54th or 55th Regiments.

For example, the 314 men from Pennsylvania who volunteered for the 54th were 21.7 percent of that regiment. Another 153 Pennsylvania residents who enlisted in the 55th were 12.65 percent of that regiment. Of the 2654 men in both the 54th and 55th Regiments, a combined 467 Pennsylvania residents were 17.59 of all men in the two Massachusetts regiments

Enlistees from Pennsylvania

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0elHJjc0U2OYmRBUjhnMVhzeEE/view?usp=sharing
Enlistees from Indiana
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0elHJjc0U2OUDZmSGg5WG9ueXc/view?usp=sharing
Enlistees from Illinois
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0elHJjc0U2OcmlqemlWOGxVajQ/view?usp=sharing
Enlistees from Michigan
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0elHJjc0U2OOFN2Q3pNMGd2Umc/view?usp=sharing
Enlistees from Missouri
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0elHJjc0U2OanpicDZoektpOTA/view?usp=sharing
Enlistees from New York
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0elHJjc0U2ONXRZOXYybXY0bzQ/view?usp=sharing
Enlistees from Ohio
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0elHJjc0U2OM3JNS3lMM1plX2M/view?usp=sharing
Enlistees from Virginia
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0elHJjc0U2OcDJGTmFXOFdHWDg/view?usp=sharing
Enlistees from Maryland
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0elHJjc0U2OMC0wSURRUENhTnc/view?usp=sharing

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