The Wall of Honor at the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, DC, displays 209,145 names taken from official records of the Bureau of US Colored Troops (USCT) at the National Archives. The number of enlistees from each state where they enlisted is below:

Congress passed the Militia Act of 1862 to address the urgent need for military support. This legislation allowed America's African-descent population to join the Union army and help save the Union. It had become an "indispensable military necessity." Shortly after President Abraham Lincoln signed the legislation on July 17, 1862, free men of color joined volunteer regiments in Illinois and New York. These men would later participate in some of the war's most notable campaigns and battles, including Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and Sherman's Atlanta Campaign.

The first United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiment was established on this date and joined the Union Army. All of its captains and lieutenants were of African descent. The regiment was immediately assigned combat duties and captured Donaldsonville, Louisiana, a month later, on October 27, 1862. Before the Emancipation Proclamation, two additional African-descent regiments from Kansas and South Carolina demonstrated their impressive combat abilities.

Once President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on this date, the War Department authorized the recruitment of African Americans. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry was the first regiment to receive this authorization. By the end of 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant recognized the African-descent population, armed with the proclamation, as a "powerful ally."

During the final two years of the war, African Americans played a vital role in all major campaigns and battles. They demonstrated great bravery and earned 25 Medals of Honor. The USCT regiments accomplished significant victories, including capturing Charleston, the Cradle of Secession, and Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. Lincoln recognized their contributions and declared, "Without the military help of the black freedmen, the war against the South could not have been won."