5th United States Colored Infantry Regiment
military unit
The 5th United States Colored Infantry Regiment was an African American regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. A part of the United States Colored Troops, the regiment saw action in Virginia as part of the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign and in North Carolina, where it participated in the attacks on Fort Fisher and Wilmington and the Carolinas campaign.
History
The regiment was formed as the 127th Ohio Infantry Regiment at Camp Delaware, Ohio. It was re-designated the 5th United States Colored Infantry Regiment, and moved to Norfolk, Virginia, in November 1863, immediately after three months of organization. It served at Norfolk and Portsmouth in the Department of Virginia and North Carolina until January 1864, during which time the unit participated in Brigadier General Edward A. Wild's expedition to South Mills and Camden Court House, North Carolina, from December 5 to December 24 and in action at Sandy Swamp, North Carolina, on December 8.
The regiment was then moved to Yorktown, Virginia, where it became part of the XVIII Corps and was involved in several expeditions: Wistar's Expedition against Richmond from February 6 to February 8, 1864, an expedition to New Kent Court House in aid of Brigadier General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick's cavalry from March 1 to March 4 (including action at New Kent Court House on March 2), an expedition into King and Queen County from March 9 to March 12, and an expedition into Mathews and Middlesex Counties from March 17 to March 21.
The regiment participated in the capture of City Point, Virginia, on May 4, 1864, and while in the city the regiment served fatigue duty, built Fort Converse on the Appomattox River, defended an attack against Fort Converse on May 20, and took part in Brigadier General Benjamin F. Butler's operations on the south side of the James River and against Petersburg and Richmond. The unit participated in action at Bailor's Farm on June 15, 1864, before taking part in the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign from June 16 to December 6, 1864. The regiment served in the trenches around Petersburg, seeing action there during the Battle of the Crater on July 30.
On August 28, 1864, the regiment moved to Deep Bottom in Henrico County, Virginia, and subsequently participated in the Battle of Chaffin's Farm and Fort Harrison from September 28 to September 30 and the Battle of Fair Oaks from October 27 to October 28 before returning to the trenches, this time near Richmond.
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