54th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry

Brief History
Organized September 4, - December 25, 1863, as 2nd Arkansas Infantry (African Descent). March 11, 1864 became the 54th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry.

Attached to 2nd Brigade, Frontier Division, 7th Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 7th Corps, to August, 1865. Dept. of

Captain Robert Gould Shaw, was commissioned Col. of the 54th.

Wikipedia page: 54th 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" Organized at Readville, Massachusetts Mustered in May 13, 1863 Left Boston on Steamer "De Molay" for Hilton Head, South Carolina. Discharged at Boston, Massachusetts, September 1, 1865. 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 54th 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.


 * Wikipedia 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/54th_Massachusetts_Volunteer_Infantry


 * Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry: http://battleofolustee.org/54th_mass_inf.html


 * FamilySearch Wiki: Massachusetts in the Civil War