The 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

that served in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. It is credited as being the first infantry regiment to enter

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, when the city surrendered in the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

Service

The 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment was organized at Fair Haven,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

and mustered on March 8, 1864, under the command of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

William B. Wooster. Over 1,200 volunteers were recruited, exceeding the regiments mandated strength, and 400 were used to form the

30th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 31st United States Colored Infantry was an infantry regiment raised in New York State during the American Civil War that recruited black soldiers. History The 30th and 31st Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiments were raised side-by-side in th ...

. The regiment was attached to the District of Beaufort,

Department of the South The Department of the South was a military department of the United States Army that existed in several iterations in the 19th century during and after the American Civil War. 1862–65 After the first 11 months of the American Civil War, startin ...

, April to August 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division,

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. History The Union Department ...

Department of Virginia and North Carolina The Department of Virginia and North Carolina was a United States Military department encompassing Union-occupied territory in the Confederate States during the Civil War. In 1863, it was formed by the merging of two previously existing departm ...

, to December 1864. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXV Corps, to January 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XXV Corps, to April 1865, District of St. Marys, XXII Corps,

Department of Washington Department of Washington, was a department of the Union Army constituted on April 9, 1861. It consisted of the District of Columbia to its original boundaries, and the State of Maryland as far as Bladensburg. It was merged into the Military ...

, to May 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XXV Corps,

Department of Texas The Department of Texas was a military department of the United States Army that existed from 1850 to 1861, and again from 1865 to 1866, from 1870 to 1913 and during the First World War. It was subordinate to the Military Division of the Missouri ...

, to October 1865. The 29th Connecticut Infantry mustered out of service on October 24, 1865, and was discharged November 25, 1865, at

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

, Connecticut.

Detailed service

Left Connecticut for Annapolis, Maryland, March 19. Moved to Beaufort, South Carolina, April 8–13, and duty there until August 8. Moved from Beaufort, South Carolina, to Bermuda Hundred, Virginia, August 8–13, 1864. Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond, August 13, 1864 to April 2, 1865. Demonstration on North Side of the James River, August 13–20, 1864. Deep Bottom, Strawberry Plains, August 14–18. Duty in the trenches before Petersburg, August 25-September 24. New Market Heights and Fort Harrison, September 28–29. Chaffin's Farm, September 29–30. Darbytown Road, October 13. Battle of Fair Oaks, October 27–28. Duty in trenches before Richmond until April 1865. Occupation of Richmond, April 3. (First infantry regiment to enter the city.) Moved to City Point April 18, then to Point Lookout, Maryland, and duty there guarding prisoners until May 28. Moved to City Point May 28–30, then sailed for Texas, June 10, arriving at Brazos, Santiago, July 3. March to Brownsville and duty there until October. At New Orleans October 27-November 11.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 198 men during service; 1 officer and 44 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 152 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel William B. Wooster

Notable enlisted men

James L. Saunders, one of four children born to Virginia slave trader Jourdan M. Saunders, an associate of

Franklin & Armfield Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historica ...

, and Mary Wilkins, a formerly enslaved woman of color, enlisted in the 29th Connecticut in March 1864.

References

* Bacon, Edward W. ''Double Duty in the Civil War: The Letters of Sailor and Soldier Edward W. Bacon'' (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press), 2009. * Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * Hill, Isaac J. ''A Sketch of the 29th Regiment of Connecticut Colored Troops'' (Baltimore: Printed by Daughtery, Maguire), 1867. * McCain, Diana Ross. ''Connecticut's African American Soldiers in the Civil War, 1861-1865'' (Hartford, CT: Connecticut Historical Commission), 2000. * Newton, Alexander Herritage. ''Out of the Briars: An Autobiography and Sketch of the Twenty-Ninth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers'' (Philadelphia: The A.M.E. Book Concern), 1910. ;Attribution * {{CWR Military units and formations established in 1864 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

29th Connecticut Infantry Regiment (Colored) The 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It is credited as being the first infantry regiment to enter Richmond, Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, when the city ...