Were are the USCT

[C. Seney]

250,000 men of color served and only the 2nd Cav is used ???? where is the 54th the La Guard the 19th ?????

[Joe Meyer]

Clifton, I believe that 180,000 soldiers is closer to the actual number of colored troops who served within the Union ranks of the American Civil War, about 1/10th of the total number. Here in the ACWGC we do not concern ourselves with the ethnic race or color of our members: all are, and have been, welcomed as members ("officers") of the club.

I am not quite sure where you found the "2nd Cavalry" within our organization, or specifically what unit you referred to as the 54th or 19th, unless the former be the 54th Massachusetts. But regimental designations are not used within the ACWGC field army OOB's. The fundamental organizational unit for the ACWGC is the brigade, and it is to that level that a new officer is assigned within the club, your own 4th Brigade, First Division, XIV Corps being an example. While we do not ascribe regimental designations to our "commands," we sometimes select nicknames for our brigades and divisions; for instance, Brig. Gen. Guegan of your field army has nicknamed his brigade "The Brittany Volunteers," an expression of his own heritage and location. You are certainly free, Clifton, to select a nickname for your own brigade, one that would highlight your own background and interests.

As far as the official ACWGC Union Army OOB's are concerned, we make no distinction other than the numerical designations. The historical USCT, Irish, Polish Scandanavian and German ethnic regiments of the ACW are all understood to be represented right there along with all of the rest within our portrayal of the times.

[krmiller_usa]

If you are referring to the lack of USCT units in the ACWGC OOB's, to the best of my knowledge the only corps sized forces that had USCT units were the IX Corps (19th USCT included in Ferraro's Division) and the Army of the James, if there were any with Sherman's armies I'm not familiar with their history. The remainder were stationed with smaller detachments or departments not represented by the union army oob here in the ACWGC.

I've been a member here since 1999 and to my knowledge the IX Corps was never formed in the ACWGC, the AotP had only the I, II and V Corps prior to being downsized to the I and V.

At one time there was an Army of the James but it was disbanded several years ago like the Army of the Ohio due to declining membership and a lack of members to fill command slots and the members transferred to other armies.

[C. Seney]

Sir not talking about the Club org. but designers of games surely there is a place just to stick them to show that USCT did do something! Now my gggdaddy was at Petersburg in 1864. I did not thank that I would find the 54 th or the 19th in the OB.

[krmiller_usa]

Can't speak for the game designers although the problem may be they haven't covered the smaller actions that the USCT were involved in or the latter part of the war including the actions around Petersburg and the final campaigns.

I never played them but there were a couple of game mods that included USCT troops in the OOB. For Battleground Bull Run there was a mod for Olustee, and a Brice's Crossroads mod for BG Antietam.

For HPS Corinth there was Brice's Crossroads. In fact when I produced a modified Units.bmp file for use with the HPS Corinth mods that proliferated prior to the locking of the map and oob files with ver. 1.02 I included several unit pictures to be used for USCT units.

[John Ferry]

I am new to the club, and sometimes find myself confused as to whether folks are talking about the different armies and corps in the club, or are referring to the formations of 150 years ago. I see I am not alone.
I designed Overland, particularly the Orders of Battle. I used every available source to accurately model the armies as they were organized at the beginning of May, 1864. In stressing historical accuracy, there is no room to represent units that were in fact not there, just to acknowledge their service. Having said that, I must point out that the units are all there, waiting for the chance to prove their mettle.
Burnside’s Ninth Corps contains a division of USCT, under General Ferrero. It consists of two brigades, seven regiments (27th, 30th, 39th, 43rd, 19th, 23rd, and 30th Connecticut) and two batteries. During the campaign it guarded supply trains and lines of communication. It was a job that had to be done, and Ferrero’s Division was totally green (and black) so it tagged along in the rear with the gear while the white boys did the fighting and dying. Although it is featured in some scenarios, it was never in the forefront. Of course, a commander is free to use them if they are available in a scenario. Their chance will come, on down the road, in the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg in July, 1864.
Having survived the carnage at Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor, Ferrero’s Division was selected by Burnside to spearhead the assault after a mine was exploded under the Confederate lines. It was specially trained and rehearsed for the job, but Grant vetoed Ferrero at the last minute. Grant was afraid of the political repercussions if the blacks were massacred-- or failed. He told Burnside to select another division, which he did by having his other three division commanders draw straws. The “winner” was BrGen James Ledlie, an incompetent drunkard, whose untrained, unrehearsed, unled division failed miserably, forcing Burnside to send in the USCT, who were massacred, just as Grant had feared. If Ferrero had gone in as planned, I doubt not that the battle would have had a different result.
Butler’s Army of the James also had a division of USCT, under BrGen Edward Hinks. It was comprised of two brigades, seven regiments (1st, 10th, 22nd, 37th, 4th, 5th and 6th) and three batteries. There were also two unattached regiments of cavalry (1st and 2nd.) They are included in most Overland Orders of Battle.
Hinks’ men were in only one engagement during this time, the Battle of Wilson’s Wharf. Butler set up a fortified camp on the north bank of the James to protect his communications as he advanced toward Richmond. No less than Fitz Lee, Robert E’s nephew, was dispatched by Jeff Davis to clean out this “nest of blacks” and Lee’s demand for surrender indicated the he foresaw a reenactment of the Fort Pillow massacre, carried out the previous April by Bedford Forrest’s boys. The Union commander, BrGen Edward Wild, replied “We will try it. Take the fort if you can.” Lee ended up losing 200 men while Wild lost 6 killed and forty wounded. The battle was the first engagement between the USCT and the Army of Northern Virginia. It would not be the last…
Wilson’s Wharf did not take place on the Overland master map, being farther to the east, so it was not modeled in a scenario. Perhaps an update might see a stand alone map. As I said, the troops are in the OOB, itching for a fight.