2nd Regiment, United States Colored Light Artillery

Brief History
Four references have been used to learn the brief histories the Batteries of the 2nd Regiment. .   Battery "A" Organized at Nashville, Tennessee, April 30, 1864. Mustered out January 13, 1866.

Battery "B" Organized at Fort Monroe, Virginia, January 8-February 27, 1864, Mustered out March 17, 1866.

Battery "C" Organized at Jebron's Plantation, Mississippi, as 1st Louisiana Light Artillery Battery, African Descent November 6, 1863. Designated Battery "A" March 11, 1864. Designation changed Battery "C" April 26, 1864. Mustered out December 28, 1865.

Battery "D" Organized at Black River Bridge, Mississippi  December 21, 1863 as 2nd Louisiana Light Artillery Battery, African Descent. Designated Battery "B" March 11, 1864, Designation changed Battery "D" April 26, 1864. Mustered out December 28, 1865.

Battery "E" Organized at Helena, Arkansas, December 1, 1863, as 3rd Louisiana Artillery Battery, African Descent. Battery "C" 2nd U.S. Colored Light Infantry Regiment on March 11, 1864. Desigantion Battery "E" April 26, 1864. Mustered out September 26, 1865.

Battery 'F" Organized November 23, 1863, as Memphis Light Artillery Battery as Company "D", 2nd U.S. Colored Light Artillery Regiment March 11, 1864. (African Descent) Changed to Battery "F", April 26, 1864. Consolidated with the 3rd U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment on December 28, 1865. Mustered out December 28, 1865.

Battery "G" Organized May 24, 1864, at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Mustered out August 12, 1865.

Battery "H" Organized at Pine Bluff, Arkansas June 4, 1864, as 1st Arkansas Light Battery, African Descent. Designation chanaged December 13, 1864 to 2nd Regiment United States Colored Light Artillery.

Desigantion changed December 13, 1864. Mustered out September 15, 1865.

Battery "I" Organized April 19, 1864 at Memphis, Tennessee. Mustered out January 10, 1866.

Predecessor unit:
LOUISIANA VOLUNTEERS. 1st BATTERY LIGHT ARTILLERY (AFRICAN DESCENT). Organized at Hebron's Plantation, Mississippi, November 6, 1863.

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.

National Archives

 * Regimental and Company Books of the 2nd U.S. Colored Troops Light Artillery 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.


 * Tennessee in the Civil War


 * Tennesseans in the Civil War, (accessed 2 Sep 2011). Battery A History
 * Tennesseans in the Civil War, (accessed 2 Sep 2011). Battery I History

Virginia in the Civil War

Mississippi in the Civil War

Louisiana in the Civil War

South Carolina in the Civil War