Nineteenth Century Freedom Fighters

This Civil War regimental history vividly chronicles the Union Army’s first black unit through the personal writings of its commanding officer. The 1st South Carolina Volunteers, later the 33rd United States Colored Troops, were the first black unit of the Civil War. Beginning a year before the 54th Massachusetts—the unit immortalized in the film Glory —the 1st South Carolina was comprised of men who had escaped slavery to fight for the freedom of all. Known for their courage, discipline, and pr