5th Regiment, United States Colored Heavy Artillery

Brief History
Organized as 9th Louisiana Volunteers (African Descent) August 7, 1863-January 17, 1864. Designation changed to 1st Mississippi Heavy Artillery (African Descent). Designated 4th Heavy Artillery March 11, 1864, and 5th Heavy Artillery April 26, 1864. Chanaged to 5th U.S. Colored heavy artillery, April 26, 1864. Expedition from Vicksburg to Yazoo City November 23-December 4, 1864. Mustered out May 20, 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 K

Company L

Company M

National Archives

 * Muster Roll for the 4th/5th Regiment, United States Colored Heavy Artillery, and an Attached Letter. NAID 12388513
 * Approved Pension File for Private Robert Eastman, Company L, 5th U.S. Colored Troops Heavy Artillery Regiment (SC-801786) NAID 68134251

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: Louisiana in the Civil War and Mississippi in the Civil War