netmgr@coax.net
The 137th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment was organized at
Selma, Alabama in April, 1865, and was one of the last units to
be mustered into the Union Army under the Bureau of Colored
Troops during the Civil War. The recruits mostly farmers and
laborers were ex-slaves born throughout the southern states.
Organization of the regiment began on April 8, 1865 in Selma,
Alabama under the command of Colonel Martin R. Archer, one day
before the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at
Appomattox. The unit transferred to Macon, Georgia and was
mustered into United States service on June 1, 1865 almost two
months after the surrender.
Some units were assigned to cleanup and burial details in and
near the Anderson ville, Georgia Confederate prison. The entire
regiment was mustered out of service on January 15, 1866.
SOURCE: Regimental Papers. 137th United
States Colored Infantry Regiment. National Archives, Washington,
DC.
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