African American Military History Private Miles Logan US Colored Troops Pay Voucher 1865 Arkansas Service and Compensation Record

U S. Colored Troops

Ephemera and pamphlets

Logan, Miles. Volunteer Descriptive List and Account of Pay and Clothing, 1865, documents the military service, labor assignment, and compensation of an African American soldier in the 11th Regiment United States Colored Infantry during the Civil War. Enlisted at Fort Smith, Arkansas on 28 December 1863 at approximately eighteen years of age, Logan is recorded as a farmer prior to service, placing him within the cohort of formerly enslaved or newly emancipated men who entered Union ranks following the creation of the Bureau of Colored Troops in 1863. The document traces his presence with the regiment, including assignment as a teamster with a hay train, and confirms his participation during the Battle of Gunther Prairie on 24 August 1864. Notations regarding lost issued equipment and subsequent stoppage of pay provide direct evidence of the disciplinary and logistical systems governing enlisted men, while marginal records of clothing issuance illustrate the material provisioning of Black soldiers in Union service.

Volunteer Descriptive List and Account of Pay and Clothing of Private Miles Logan, Company B, 11th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops. United States Army, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1865. Partly printed document completed in manuscript, one page measuring approximately 21 x 10 inches. Record includes enlistment details, service notes, and itemized accounting of clothing and equipment issued through March 25, 1865, totaling $105.72, with additional entries in the margins. Annotations in the paymaster’s hand confirm Logan’s service status and participation in active operations. The document also reflects the administrative transition of the 11th Regiment into the 113th U.S. Colored Infantry in April 1865, with final muster out in April 1866. During the final year of the Civil War, this document aligns with the large-scale enlistment of African American soldiers who served in Union forces and contributed to military operations across the Confederacy. The detailed accounting of pay, equipment, and service underscores the structured yet unequal conditions under which United States Colored Troops operated, including higher mortality rates and stricter oversight compared to white units. As an individual service record, the document provides granular insight into the lived experience of Black soldiers, linking battlefield participation, labor roles, and federal military administration. Folded with five creases showing wear and reinforcement, with some flaking and age discoloration; overall very good condition.

Item #20141

Price: $980.00