5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry | |
---|---|
Active | January 9, 1864-October 31, 1865 |
Disbanded | October 31, 1865 |
Country | United States |
Allegiance | Union |
Branch | Cavalry |
Size | Regiment |
Engagements |
The 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry (or 5th Regiment, Massachusetts Cavalry (Colored)) was a cavalry regiment from Massachusetts, that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Service[]
The regiment was organized from January 9-May 5, 1864, at Camp Meigs, Readville. From May 12, 1864, it served dismounted and equipped as infantry until the end of war.
Detailed service[]
The regiment fought at Baylor's Farm during the Second Battle of Petersburg and the Siege of Petersburg.
Casualties[]
The regiment lost 123 enlisted men; 7 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, 116 enlisted men died of disease.
Commanders[]
- Colonel Henry S. Russell (March 7-June 14, 1864; wounded at Baylor's Farm)
- Major Henry Pickering Bowditch (June 14-September 30, 1864)
- Colonel Henry S. Russell (September 30, 1864 – February 14, 1865; resigned)
- Colonel Charles Francis Adams, Jr. (February 14-August 1, 1865)
- Colonel Samuel Chamberlain (August 1-October 31, 1865; regiment mustered out)
Notable soldiers and officers[]
- Private Prince Romerson (c. 1840–1872), a Native Hawaiian soldier from the Kingdom of Hawaii who also fought as a Buffalo Soldier.[1]
- Joshua Dunbar, the father of renowned American poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar, served as a volunteer soldier in both the 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry and the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment.
- Corporal William R. Meadows (c. 1842-May 6, 1868), moved to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana after the war. He served as a representative to the state constitutional convention of 1868 after Louisiana was readmitted to the Union. He was murdered by unknown parties outside his home on the evening May 6, 1868. [New Orleans Republican, May 22, 1868, p. 1; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_Regiment_Massachusetts_Colored_Volunteer_Cavalry#Notable_soldiers_and_officers
See also[]
Notes[]
- ↑ McCunn, Ruthanne Lum (2015). "Prince Romerson". In Shively, Carol A.. Asians and Pacific Islanders and the Civil War. Washington, D. C.: National Park Service. pp. 142–145. ISBN 978-1-59091-167-9. OCLC 904731668.
References[]
- Cox, Christopher (2013). History of Massachusetts Civil War Regiments: Artillery, Cavalry, and Infantry. Raleigh, NC: Lulu Publishing. ISBN 978-1-304-46992-2. OCLC 897834743. https://books.google.com/books?id=wSTwBQAAQBAJ.
- Dyer, Frederick H. (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. 1. Des Moines, IA: The Dyer Publishing Company. p. 1240. OCLC 8697590. https://books.google.com/books?id=OBkNAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1240.
- Massachusetts. Adjutant General's Office (1933). Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War. VI. Norwood, MA: Printed at the Norwood Press. OCLC 11485612. https://archive.org/details/massachusettssol61931mass.
External links[]
- History of the 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry by African American Military History
- History of the 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry by The Civil War Archive
- History of the 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry by FamilySearchBeta
The original article can be found at 5th Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry and the edit history here.