The USCT in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, 1862-1865

HIST414: American Civil WarCSU-Pueblo

Dr. Kristen Epps

Today’s Questions

What was the process for recruiting black troops in Missouri and Kansas? Where did these units see action? What challenges did USCT units face?

Trans-Mississippi Theater

Statistic from Mark Geiger

“Missouri ranked third among the states in the amount of military activity within its borders…. In Missouri most of the confrontations were clashes between Union militia and free-floating bands of armed men, only loosely allied with regular Confederate forces.”

James Lane

Commander of the “Kansas Brigade”

Kansas and Missouri USCT Units

1st Kansas Colored (79th USCI)

Battle of Island Mound, Missouri

Kansas and Missouri USCT Units

1st Kansas Colored (79th USCI)2nd Kansas Colored (83rd USCI)Douglass’s Battery

Enlistment Paper for George Reynolds

Sergeant George Mitchell

Company K, 62nd USCI

Kansas and Missouri USCT Units

1st Kansas Colored (79th USCI)2nd Kansas Colored (83rd USCI)Douglass’s Battery

1st Missouri Colored (62nd USCI)2nd Missouri Colored (65th USCI)3rd Missouri Colored (67th USCI)4th Missouri Colored (68th USCI)18th USCI

Conclusions• Approximately 2,083 black Kansans and 8,344 black Missourians served during the Civil War • African Americans contributed to Union successes at many different occasions and earned the respect of many white soldiers in the process• Although they faced many challenges, including discrimination and fear of reprisals, black soldiers knew from the beginning that this was a war for emancipation