Appomattox Virginia
There were nine USCT regiments that engaged with Gen. Robert E. Lee’s troops at the Battle of Appomattox and were present for his unconditional surrender on April 9, 1865. – 7th USCT, 8th USCT, 29th USCT, 31st USCT, 41st USCT, 45th USCT, 109th USCT, 116th USCT and 127th USCT.
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Petersburg, Virginia
Sometime during the war, Petersburg became a major supply center for the Confederacy and its nearby capital in Richmond, Virginia. By war’s end Petersburg would see the greatest concentration of USCT soldiers. The most notable actions at this site include the Battle of th Crater and the Siege at the close of the war.
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District of Columbia
During the war the island was called Analostan or Mason’s Island which was the location of Camp Greene where the 1st USCT. Camp Green at the time was named after the Chief Quartermaster for the Department of Washington, Lt. Colonel Elias M. Greene.

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Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg’s strategic location on the Mississippi River made it a critical conquest for the Union.
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Natchez, Mississippi
Forks of the Road was the second-largest domestic slave market in the Deep South. In the fall of 1863 members of the 12th Wisconsin Infantry were given orders to tear down the slave pens at the Forks of the Road. They were joined by the newly organized 58th USCT Regiment. Union forces entered Natchez and established a headquarters there after gaining control of the Mississippi River with the fall of Vicksburg. There were six regiments organized in Natchez – 6th USC Heavy Artillery, 58th USCT, 63rd USCT, 64th USCT, 70th USCT, 71, USCT.
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Savannah, Georgia
In April 1862, Union forces captured Fort Pulaski near the port city of Savannah, Georgia. Hundreds of Blacks would flee to Fort Pulaski seeking freedom. Some later would come together to form the earliest Colored Troops regiments. Susie King Taylor fled to Fort Pulaski during the siege and is most noted for her biography depicting her time with the 33rd USCT in South Carolina as a nurse and teacher.
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Beaufort, South Carolina
Camp Saxton was established in the Fall of 1862 and was home to the 33rd USCT which was reorganized from the 1st South Carolina Colored Infantry.
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Boston, Massachusetts
Built in 1806 the African Meeting house served as the meeting place for the African Baptist Church of Boston. It has hosted giants in the Abolitionist community such as Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Maria Stewart. In 1863 it served as the recruitment post for the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Regiment.

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District of Columbia
The Spirit of Freedom African American Civil War Memorial list the names of the United States Colored Troops – 209,145 people.

The US Army established Camp Nelson as a fortified supply depot in April 1863. Over the next 3 years. the site evolved into a massive recruitment and training center for United States Colored Troops and a refugee camp for their families. It served as a shelter for civilians fleeing war and for enslaved people hoping to secure their freedom and aid in the destruction of slavery.
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At Ship Island, the 74th United States Colored Troops (USCT) played a vital role in securing the Union’s foothold along the Gulf Coast during the Civil War. Stationed at Fort Massachusetts, these soldiers were responsible for garrison duty, guarding prisoners, and protecting this strategic base of operations used by Union forces to control access to the Mississippi Sound.

The 74th USCT also contributed heavily to the construction and maintenance of the fort itself—labor that was physically demanding but essential to the Union war effort. In addition, they supported expeditions along the Gulf Coast, helping to disrupt Confederate supply lines and enforce Union authority in the region.

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“At Fort Barrancas, part of today’s Gulf Islands National Seashore, United States Colored Troops (USCT) served as a crucial component of the Union’s Gulf Coast defenses. Beginning in 1864, Black soldiers—particularly from regiments such as the 25th USCT—were stationed at the fort to help secure Pensacola Bay, a key strategic harbor.

Their duties included garrison service, manning artillery positions, guarding supply lines, and maintaining the fortifications that protected Union naval and military operations in the region. While large-scale combat was limited at this post, their presence ensured continued Union control of the area and freed white troops for frontline campaigns elsewhere.”

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At Fort Pickens, part of today’s Gulf Islands National Seashore, United States Colored Troops (USCT) played a key role in maintaining Union control of Pensacola Harbor during the Civil War. By 1864, Black regiments—including units like the 25th USCT—were stationed at the fort as part of the Union’s Gulf Coast defenses.

Their responsibilities centered on garrison duty: manning heavy artillery, guarding the harbor, maintaining fortifications, and protecting vital supply lines. Fort Pickens was one of the few Southern forts held by Union forces from the very beginning of the war, making it a critical base for naval operations and regional control.

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The site encompasses just under 1,000 acres of the larger Port Hudson battlefield which was first purchased by the State of Louisiana in 1965 and opened to the public in 1982 with the Native Guard Battlefield tract acquired in 1995. The site includes a museum filled with exhibits, artifacts, and a short introductory video.
There are artillery displays with original and reproduction cannons which we use for interpretive programs.

The site also contains over 6 miles of walking trails that lead to original earthworks and other battlefield features. We interpret the Siege of Port Hudson beginning with the Confederate occupation of the location in August 1862 through to the post-siege Union garrison occupation in July 1866. Included during that time period is the Confederate use of enslaved people to construct some of their defensive earthworks, the attack of the 1st & 3rd Louisiana Native Guard Infantry Regiments on the morning of May 27, 1863 and their actions during the remainder of the siege, and the recruiting and training of numerous Louisiana Native Guard/USCT regiments after the siege as they occupied the Union fortifications.

We have a couple of different exhibits in the museum discussing the Native Guard/USCT and we possess and protect a small portion of the post-siege Union fort and the site of the Native Guard’s attack on May 27th.

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At Fort Monroe, the United States Colored Troops (USCT) emerged directly from one of the most significant early turning points of the Civil War. In 1861, Union commanders declared enslaved people who escaped to the fort “contraband of war,” allowing them to remain and work for the Union army. This decision transformed Fort Monroe into a haven for thousands seeking freedom and laid the foundation for Black military service.

As the war progressed, many of these men enlisted in the USCT. From Fort Monroe and nearby Camp Hamilton, Black soldiers were organized, trained, and deployed to serve in campaigns across Virginia and the South. They performed garrison duty, built fortifications, and later fought in key operations as the Union army advanced.

Fort Monroe thus stands as both a birthplace of freedom and a gateway to service—where formerly enslaved men took up arms to secure their own liberation and help preserve the Union.

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