Freedom Fighter
Unidentified Black soldier in Union uniform with a rifle and revolver in front of painted backdrop showing weapons and American flag at Benton Barracks, Saint Louis, Missouri.
The War Department issued General Order 143 on May 22, 1863, creating the United States Colored Troops. By the end of the war, roughly 179,000 Black men or 10 percent of the Union Army, served as soldiers in the U.S. Army, and another 19,000 served in the Navy.
Read more about the U.S. Colored Troops.