45th USCT Regiment

After being assembled at Camp William Penn in the summer of 1864, the 45th USCT Regiment was sent to Washington, DC, where it had the distinct honor of being the only African-American regiment in the procession for the second inauguration of President Lincoln.  In September 1864, the regiment was moved to Petersburg, Virginia, where it participated in the Siege of Petersburg.  The regiment took part in skirmishes at Fort Harrison and the Battle of Darbytown Road, and remained stationed on picket duty at Fort Harrison until the spring 1865.  When the spring campaign opened, the regiment was ordered into active duty with the Army of the Potomac, and it participated in the Battle of Hatcher’s Run.  The regiment was present for the fall of Petersburg, and followed the Confederate forces to Appomattox Court House, where it was present for the Confederate surrender on April 9, 1865.

You can read the full summary of the 45th USCT Regiment’s actions during the Civil War as well as see the complete muster roll here.

(Courtesy of Google Books – Samuel P. Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5 (Harrisburg: B. Singerly, 1871), 5: 1106-1124.)