The 8th U. S. Colored Infantry stands in the “Three
Hundred Fighting Regiments” list created by William F. Fox. For nearly two
years, I have featured the regiments from this group that served at some point
in the trans-Mississippi. Like several other regiments, the trans-Mississippi
service of the 8th U. S. Colored Infantry consisted of only a short period as an
occupying force at the conclusion of the war. In previous postings on these
regiments, I have included links with further information, but, unfortunately, I
could find no detailed information on the Internet about the 8th U.
S. Colored Infantry. What follows is Fox’s history of the regiment from his Regimental Losses In The American Civil War,
1861-1865 (1898).
“Hawley’s Brigade —Seymour’s Division--Tenth Corps.
(1) Col. Charles W. Fribley (Killed).
|
(2) Col. Samuel C. Armstrong; Bvt.
Brig-Gen.
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Companies.
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killed and died of wounds.
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died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.
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Total Enrollment.
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|||||
Officers.
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Men.
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Total.
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Officers.
|
Men.
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Total.
|
|||
Field and Staff
|
1
|
1
|
13
|
|||||
Company
|
A
|
13
|
13
|
16
|
16
|
135
|
||
B
|
14
|
14
|
6
|
6
|
124
|
|||
C
|
10
|
10
|
14
|
14
|
127
|
|||
D
|
1
|
14
|
15
|
21
|
21
|
140
|
||
E
|
10
|
10
|
12
|
12
|
125
|
|||
F
|
16
|
16
|
11
|
11
|
129
|
|||
G
|
4
|
4
|
13
|
13
|
122
|
|||
H
|
14
|
14
|
15
|
15
|
137
|
|||
I
|
1
|
8
|
9
|
12
|
12
|
134
|
||
K
|
1
|
12
|
13
|
12
|
12
|
136
|
||
Totals
|
4
|
115
|
119
|
132
|
132
|
1,322
|
||
Total of killed and wounded, 364; captured and missing, 72; died in
Confederate prisons (previously included), 6.
Battles.
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K. & M. W.
|
|
Olustee, Fla.
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Feb. 20, 1864
|
87
|
Bermuda Hundred, Va.
|
August 24, 1864
|
1
|
Chaffin's Farm, Va.
|
Sept. 29, 1864
|
18
|
Darbytown Road, Va.
|
Oct. 13, 1864
|
10
|
Siege of Petersburg, Va.
|
June 15, 1864-April 2, 1865
|
3
|
Present, also, at Hatcher’s Run; Fall of Petersburg; Pursuit of Lee;
Appomattox.
Notes.--Organized at Philadelphia, recruiting having commenced in
September, 1863. The field officers had seen service in other regiments,
Colonel Fribley having served as a Captain in the Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania.
The Eighth left Philadelphia, January 16, 1864, proceeding to New York, where
it embarked for Hilton Head, S. C. After a short stay of two weeks, it sailed
with Seymour’s Division for Florida, where it was engaged, soon after, at the
battle of Olustee; it had been assigned, shortly before this action, to Hawley's
Brigade. The fighting at Olustee resulted in a serious defeat to Seymour’s
forces, and the Eighth, after facing the enemy's musketry for over half an
hour, retired slowly and in good order, its casualties amounting to 50 killed,
187 wounded, and 73 missing; the latter were all killed or wounded men. Colonel
Fribley was killed in this battle.
The
regiment remained in Florida until August, when it accompanied General William
Birney’s Brigade to Virginia, where it joined the Army of the James. At
Chaffin's Farm the regiment, under Major Wagner, distinguished itself by its
gallantry and efficiency, losing there, 8 killed, and 60 wounded, out of about
200 in action. In the affair on the Darbytown Road — then in Doubleday’s (2d)
Brigade, Birney's (3d) Division, Tenth Corps--it took only 150 men into the
fight, losing 4 killed, 31 wounded, and 5 missing. Upon the organization of the
Twenty-fifth Corps in December, 1864, a corps composed wholly of colored
troops, the regiment was placed in the Second Brigade, Second Division (General
William Birney’s). Of the 166 colored regiments in the Union Armies the Eighth
U. S. stands third in point of loss in action. It saw considerable active
service in the field during the campaign of 1864-65, and was known as an
efficient and reliable regiment. After Lee's surrender, the Eighth was ordered
to Texas, where it encamped on the Rio Grande, at Ringgold Barracks, until
October, 1865, when it returned to Philadelphia for muster-out” (Fox, p. 421).
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