Trailblazers in Black History: 1st South Carolina Volunteers

 

The First South Carolina Volunteers was a Union Army regiment during the American Civil War. It was composed of escaped slaves from  South Carolina and Florida. It was one of the first black regiments in the Union Army. 

The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, whose exploits are memorialized in the film Glory, was formed afterwards and drew from free Nortthern Blacks.

Department of the South staff officer James D. Fessenden was heavily involved in efforts to recruit volunteers for the 1st South Carolina. Although it saw some combat, the regiment was not involved in any of the war's major battles. Its first commander was Thomas Wentworth Higginson who was—as were all the other officers—white. 

Additional information is available here. 

Source: Wikipedia