13th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry

Brief History
Organized at Nashville, Tennessee, November 19, 1863. Designation changed to 85th U.S. Colored Troops, April 4, 1864. Mustered out January 10, 1866.

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 J Company K


 * - Company O - many men from Knox County, Indiana

National Archives Catalog

 * Regimental and Company Books of the 13th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment


 * Approved Pension File for Corporal Edward Scruggs, Company F, 13th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (SC-927343) NAID 68131958
 * Approved Pension File for Corporal Lewis Harris, Company H, 13th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (SC-230546) NAID 81222541

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.


 * FamilySearch Wiki: Tennessee in the Civil War and Tennessee Military


 * Tabular Analysis of the Records of the U.S. Colored Troops and Their Predecessor Units in the National Archives of the United States. Special List No. 33. National Archives and records Service General Services Adminsitration Washington: 1973. Compiled by Joseph B. Ross.