56th United States Colored Infantry Regiment

56th United States Colored Infantry Regiment
Active
  • As the 3rd Regiment Arkansas Volunteer Infantry: May 22, 1863
  • As 56th U.S. Colored Infantry : August 11, 1864, to September 15, 1866
CountryUnited States
AllegianceUnion
BranchInfantry
SizeRegiment
EngagementsAmerican Civil War
Commanders
1st CommanderCol. Charles Bentzoni
2nd CommanderCol. Wm. S. Brooks

The 56th United States Colored Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was composed of African American enlisted men commanded by white officers and was authorized by the Bureau of Colored Troops which was created by the United States War Department on May 22, 1863. The regiment was originally organized as the 3rd Arkansas Volunteer Infantry (African Descent) on May 22, 1863.[1]

  1. ^ United States. War Dept. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 3, Volume 4., Book, 1900; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth139266/ : accessed January 08, 2016), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department, Denton, Texas.