Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
The only Wisconsin unit of Black soldiers in the Civil War
Memorial of Colonel John A. Bross, Twenty-Ninth U.S. Colored Troops...
As the Civil War progressed, segregated units of African American troops were formed in the Union Army. One of these, company F of the 29th Infantry, U.S. Colored Troops, was associated with Wisconsin. Under the Civil War draft, each state had to supply a quota of soldiers. Draft agents were permitted to pay people to serve in place of others in order to meet those quotas. This company was made up primarily of Black Illinois soldiers who agreed to take the place of Wisconsin residents. Though most were from Illinois or Missouri, a handful of Wisconsin African Americans, such as Sgt. Alfred Weaver, a former slave living in Vernon County, did join Company F, and other members of it settled in Wisconsin after the war. The pamphlet linked below is devoted to the life of the white commander of the 29th, who died in battle. Although the purpose of this little book is to memorialize the unit's leader, its combat history is told beginning on page 8, and a summary of its actions appears on pages 73-76.
| Related Topics: |
Wisconsin in the Civil War Era The Iron Brigade, Old Abe and Military Affairs |
| Creator: | anonymous |
| Pub Data: | Chicago: Tribune Book and Job Office, 1865. |
| Citation: | Memorial of Colonel John A. Bross, Twenty-Ninth U.S. Colored Troops, who fell leading the assault on Petersburgh, July 30, 1864: together with a sermon by his pastor, Rev. Arthur Swazey. (Chicago: Tribune Book and Job Office, 1865). Online facsimile at: http://wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=994; Visited on: 4/25/2024 |
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