55th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry

Brief History
Organized May 21, 1863, as 1st Alabama Infantry (African Descent). March 11, 1864, Attached to 1st Colored Brigade, District of Memphis, Tennessee, 16th Corps, to April, 1864. Mustered out December 31, 1865.

Wikipedia page: 55th United States Colored Infantry Regiment

Rootsweb page: 55th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

Company A Company B Company C Company D Company E Company F Company G Company H Company I Company K

National Archives Catalog

 * Regimental and Company Books of the 55th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in 'Union Volunteers in the Civil War' and 'United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865' (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Union Volunteers in the Civil War describes many Union sources, specifically for the Union Volunteers, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Record of the Service of the Fifty-Fifth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The Black Heritage Library Collection. Books for Libraries Press. Free Port, New York 1971. (Reprinted from a copy in the Fisk University Library)


 * Civil War Colored Troops Units with New York Soldiers or Officers: http://dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/other/coloredTroops/coloredTroopsMain.htm#55thInf


 * The Civil war Archive: http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/uncolinf3.htm


 * FamilySearch Wiki: Alabama in the Civil War