History Of The 102nd

The regiment that would become the 102nd United States Colored Troops originated in the summer of 1863 after a determined public campaign led by Detroit journalist Henry Barns, editor of the Detroit Advertiser & Tribune. Barns used editorials, public appeals, and correspondence with government officials to argue that Michigan’s Black citizens deserved the opportunity to fight for the Union and the freedom of their race. Although Michigan Governor Austin Blairinitially supported the concept, authorization had to come from the War Department. After Barns appealed directly to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, official permission was granted on July 24–25, 1863, allowing Michigan to raise a regiment composed of African American soldiers. Recruiting formally began on August 12, 1863, and the unit was organized as the 1st Michigan Colored Infantry Regiment until its eventual designation as the 102nd United States Colored Troops (USCT) when incorporated into the federal system of Black regiments. 

The regiment drew recruits from across Michigan, particularly from Detroit and other communities with established Black populations, but it also attracted volunteers from beyond the state. A notable number of men came from Ontario, Canada, where many formerly enslaved people had settled after escaping through the Underground Railroad. When news spread that a Michigan regiment of Black soldiers was being raised, some of these men returned across the border to enlist. For many recruits, the decision carried profound personal meaning: they were not simply defending the Union but also fighting for the freedom of family members and millions still held in bondage. Michigan’s strong abolitionist tradition and the activism of Detroit’s Black community helped fuel the regiment’s recruitment and public support. 

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Training for the regiment took place at Camp Ward in Detroit, located in the southeastern part of the city near the present-day site of Duffield Elementary School. The camp became a focal point for both military training and public engagement. Citizens frequently visited to watch drills, dress parades, and religious services, events that helped counter racist criticism circulating in some newspapers. The regiment’s soldiers quickly demonstrated discipline and determination as they trained with Austrian Lorenz muskets and learned the fundamentals of military drill. Leadership of the regiment evolved during its organization: although Henry Barns played the central role in securing the regiment’s creation and early recruitment, command of the regiment ultimately passed to experienced regular army officers, reflecting War Department policy that required white commissioned officers in USCT regiments while Black soldiers could rise only to noncommissioned ranks. 

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After completing its organization and training, the regiment left Michigan for active service in March 1864, joining Union operations in the Department of the South. Much of the regiment’s service centered around Beaufort, South Carolina, with operations extending through South Carolina, eastern Georgia, and Florida. The 102nd USCT participated in several engagements and expeditions during the war, including actions around Baldwin, Florida, where the regiment helped repel Confederate forces, and the Battle of Honey Hill, South Carolina, one of the largest engagements involving United States Colored Troops in the region. During the fighting at Honey Hill, Lieutenant Orson W. Bennett distinguished himself by leading a detachment that protected Union artillery from capture under intense enemy fire—an act of bravery for which he later received the Medal of Honor. 

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The regiment continued to serve in coastal operations and occupation duties as Union forces tightened control over Confederate territory in the South. Like many USCT units, its soldiers endured not only the hardships of military campaigning but also discrimination within the army, including unequal pay during the early part of their service. Nevertheless, the men of the 102nd demonstrated the courage and discipline that helped prove the effectiveness of Black troops in the Union army.

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Following the end of the Civil War, the 102nd United States Colored Troops was mustered out of federal service on September 30, 1865, and returned to Detroit. The regiment was formally disbanded on October 17, 1865, bringing to a close the service of Michigan’s first regiment of African American soldiers. Their contributions represented both a military achievement and a powerful step forward in the long struggle for freedom, citizenship, and recognition for African Americans in the United States.

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SOURCE: Imhoff, Maurice. The 1st Michigan Colored Regiment: Free Men Who Fought Slavery. The History Press, 2025.