United States Colored Troops Formally Organized

The Bureau of Colored Troops was established May 22, 1863, standardizing recruitment of Black soldiers. By war's end, 179,000 Black men had served in 175 USCT regiments, comprising nearly 10 percent of Union forces. USCT units fought in over 400 engagements. Black soldiers faced unequal pay (resolved 1864), no officer commissions, and execution rather than prisoner-of-war status if captured.