On July 30, 1863, Gen. Edward Wild departed New Bern with the North Carolina Colored Volunteers for the coast of South Carolina.

Wild’s 1st North Carolina Colored Volunteers (NCCV) along with some soldiers from the 55th Massachusetts Volunteers were among the 10,000 reinforcements requested by Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore who was in command of Union forces attempting to attack Charleston. Ordered to depart in light marching order, the men of the regiment left their baggage and personal belongings behind in New Bern.

The 1st NCCV, raised by Wild in North Carolina, again saw service beyond the state’s borders. The regiment became the 35th United States Colored Troops (USCT), fighting all of its battles and skirmishes in South Carolina and Florida, including the action at Battery Wagner, later made famous in the movie Glory, before seeing Reconstruction era service at Charleston.

Though difficult to track, evidence suggests that few members of the ”African Brigade” returned to North Carolina after the war, and many likely remained in locations where they had served during the war.

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