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RECRUITMENT OF COLOREDTROOPS
375
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(MILITARY—CIVIL WAR.)
Come Join Us Brothers, Published by the
Supervisory Committee for Recruiting Colored Regiments, 1210 Chestnut
Street, Philadelphia.
Chromolithographic recruitment poster, 13-1/8 x 17-7/8 inches;
paper evenly toned, a few shallow chips to the edges, one short closed tear to the right
margin. Average margins one inch or more.
Philadelphia, 1863
[4,000/6,000]
This rare recruitment poster was issued shortly after Lincoln’s decision to use colored troops.
It was printed with several different captions as well as in different sizes, some as large as
might cover a wall.The soldiers shown here are the recruits at CampWilliam Penn, outside
of Philadelphia.The United StatesWar Department issued General Order Number 143 on
May 22, 1863, establishing a “Bureau of Colored Troops” to facilitate the recruitment of
African-American soldiers to fight for the Union Army. Regiments, including infantry, cavalry,
engineers, light artillery, and heavy artillery units, were recruited from all states of the Union
and became known as the United States Colored Troops (USCT). Approximately 175
regiments composed of more than 178,000 free blacks and freedmen served during the last two
years of the war.Their service bolstered the Union war effort at a critical time. By war’s end,
the men of the USCT composed nearly one tenth of all Union troops.The USCT suffered
2,751 combat casualties during the war, and 68,178 losses from all causes. Disease caused
the most fatalities for all troops.