The Inland Empire Civil War Round Table October lecture. Sunday, October 18, 2 p.m., A.K. Smiley Public Library, 125 W. Vine St., Redlands.
A presentation on the creation of the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.). Presented by Julian Della Puppa, President of the African-Americans in the Civil War Era.
The presentation will focus on how pre-Civil War black militias became forerunners of the U.S.C.T.
The formal creation of the USCT was a gradual process driven by battlefield necessity, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the urgent need for manpower as the war progressed:
Early in the war (1861–1862), President Lincoln hesitated to authorize Black regiments for fear of alienating the Border States. As a result, Black men who escaped to Union lines were often used as teamsters, laborers, and scouts rather than as combat soldiers.
Transition to Combat Units: By mid-1862, some Union generals, acting without direct War Department authorization, began forming Black regiments. These included units like the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry and additional regiments of the Louisiana Native Guard.
Official Recognition: The landscape shifted significantly with the Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863), which officially opened the armed service to "persons of African descent". General Order No. 143 formally established the Bureau of Colored Troops on May 22, 1863. This created a centralized, federal administrative structure, organizing regiments into the numbered USCT designations we recognize today.
By the end of the war, the USCT comprised about 10% of the Union Army and participated in nearly 450 battles.