5th Regiment, Massachusetts Cavalry (Colored)

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Brief History
The 5th Regiment, Massachusetts Cavalry (Colored) was organized (Jan. 9-May 5) at Camp Meigs, Readville. 1st Battalion moved to Washington, D. C., May 5-8, 1864. Mustered out October 31, 1865.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 5th Regiment Cavalry (Colored), (accessed 9 July 2012).

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.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,718 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Massachusetts 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.


 * Massachusetts in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Massachusetts, 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 and Confederate 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.

WEBSITES


 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, (accessed 9 Dec. 2010) can be searched by soldier's name or by regiment; includes regimental rosters and additional history of the regiment.
 * FamilySearch Wiki:
 * Massachusetts in the Civil War, and Massachusetts Military
 * U.S.Military (pension index)
 * Paul Laurence Dunbar was the son of former slaves. His father, Joshua Dunbar, served in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and the 5th Massachusetts Colored Cavalry Regiment. Paul wrote a poem about the colored soldiers’ roll in the Civil War. His poem, “The Colored Soldiers” can be found at the site Poemhunter.com. (Accessed on 6 Sept. 2011.)