2nd Infantry USCT Tallahassee

06/15/2026

June 15, 1864- Congress rules that African American soldiers should receive equal pay by passing a bill equalizing pay retroactive to January 1, 1864, for all men who had been free at the start of the war. The Enrollment Act of March 3, 1865 finally granted full and equal back pay for all black soldiers.

06/02/2026

June 2, 1863-Harriet Tubman became the first woman to lead a major military operation in the United States when she and 150 African American Union soldiers rescued more than 700 enslaved persons in the Combahee Ferry Raid during the Civil War. She was praised for her recruiting efforts since most of the newly liberated men went on to join the Union Army.

05/28/2026

May 28, 1863-The most notable African-American regiment of the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, left Boston for combat. Colonel Robert Shaw was selected as the head of the infantry and organized the group made of freed or escaped slaves. This came after the War Department issued General Order 143 on May 22, 1863 created the United States Colored Troops. On the day of its departure the 54th Massachusetts Infantry set sail on a steamer to Port Royal, South Carolina. The infantry faced pay discrimination as they were given $10 a week while white soldiers got $13 a week. They protested the disparity but were not paid equal wages until towards the end of the war. During the war the African-American soldiers lost the battle at Fort Wagner and suffered great casualities in July 1863 but they were successful in siege operations in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida for the next two years. The infantry returned to Boston in September 1865. In 1989 the film Glory starring Denzel Washington portrayed the soldiers.

05/23/2026

May 23, 1900- Sgt. William H. Carney becomes the first African American awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor during the Battle of Fort Wagner, SC on July 18, 1863. He was the 21st African American to be awarded the medal even though it was not presented until nearly 37 years later.

05/22/2026

May 22, 1863-General Order 143 was issued by the War Department establishing the United States Colored Troops. It is estimated that nearly 179,000 black men served as soldiers in the U. S. Army which was 10% of the Union Army and 19,000 served in the U. S. Navy by the end of the Civil War.

05/21/2026

https://www.the2ndusctlha.org/new-page-72

05/21/2026

Thank you for your support during the Emancipation Day activities!

05/20/2026

Hundreds of people celebrated Emancipation Day in Tallahassee on Wednesday with a formal ceremony and reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, as signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

05/20/2026

02/16/2026

Jarvis V. Rosier, Sr. is honored as the November honoree of the 2026 Cherry Hall Alexander African American History Calendar for a lifetime of military leade...