1st Regiment, Kansas Colored Infantry

Brief History
The 1st Regiment, Kansas Colored Infantry was organized at Fort Scott and Mustered in as a Battalion January 13, 1863. Its designation of Regiment changed to 79th U.S. Colored Troops December 13, 1864.

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


 * The Civil War Archive section, 1st Regiment Colored Infantry, (accessed 22 March 2012).
 * The Wikipedia article, 1st Regiment Kansas Volunteer Infantry (Colored), (accessed 27 June 2012).
 * 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment. 8/1862-1/13/1863 NARA Authority Record
 * 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment. 1/13/1863-12/13/1864 NARA Authority Record

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. During the Civil War men from Shawnee and Wyandotte Counties enlisted in this regiment.

1st Kansas Colored Infantry Rosters


 * Field and Staff Officers
 * Non-Commissioned Staff
 * Company A
 * Company B
 * Company C
 * Company D
 * Company E
 * Company F
 * Company G
 * Company H
 * Company I
 * Company K
 * Unassigned

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 'Kansas 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.


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