Black Civil War Soldier Private James Jones' Final Statements, 77th Regiment, United State Colored Troops, Louisiana 1864

U S. Colored Troops

Manuscript & Autographs

[Civil War][African American Military][USCT] Scarce documentation regarding the “final statements” of Black soldier Private James Jones, Co. C, 77th Regiment, United States Colored Troops, 1864. This document concerns the settlement of accounts for a deceased enlisted man serving in a regiment formed from Louisiana’s Corps d’Afrique. The 77th United States Colored Troops, formerly the 85th U.S. Colored Infantry, originated in April 1864 from the 13th Corps d’Afrique Infantry and served within the Department of the Gulf, including at Fort St. Philip in the defenses of New Orleans. The administrative attention to the “final statements” of Private James Jones underscores the formal incorporation of formerly enslaved and free Black men into federal military structures, where pay, service records, and death benefits required standardized documentation. Such records illuminate the intersection of emancipation, military service, and federal accountability at a moment when Black enlistment was reshaping both the war effort and the legal status of African Americans.

Taggard, Frank W. 10 June 1864. Bifold, single page. Approximately 5 x 8 inches. Signed (“F.W. Taggard”) as Assistant Adjutant General. War Department, Adjutant General’s Office, Washington, D.C. Addressed to the Commanding Officer of Company C, 77th U.S. Colored Infantry (“Formerly 85th”), Fort St. Philip, Louisiana. The communication requests that outstanding final statements relating to deceased Private James Jones be forwarded without delay. Service records indicate that a Private James Jones enlisted at New Orleans and mustered into Company C of the 85th U.S. Colored Infantry, which consolidated with the 77th USCT approximately one month after its organization. The regiment remained attached to the Department of the Gulf, serving in the defenses of New Orleans. The document thus represents a direct link between Washington headquarters and Black troops stationed in occupied Louisiana. Light staining and creasing; folds from original bifold format visible but stable. Paper clean and legible with clear signature. Overall condition very good. As a signed War Department communication concerning the death and financial settlement of a soldier in the United States Colored Troops, this document provides concrete evidence of the federal government’s management of Black military service and the formal recognition of African American soldiers within Union administrative and legal systems during the Civil War.

Item #20142

Price: $2,200.00