*On this date in 1864, The 25th United States Colored Infantry was formed. This infantry regiment 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. The 25th U.S. Colored Infantry was organized at Camp William Penn near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for three-year service under the command of Colonel Gustavus A. Scroggs. The regiment was attached to Defenses of New Orleans, Louisiana, Department of the Gulf, May to July 1864. Sailed for New Orleans, La., on the steamer Suwahnee on March 15, 1864 (Right Wing). The vessel sprung a leak off Cape Hatteras and put into the harbor at Beaufort, North Carolina. Duty there in the defenses, under Gen. Wessells, until April, then proceeded to New Orleans, arriving May 1.
Left-Wing in camp at Carrollton. Duty in the Defenses of New Orleans, La., until July 1864. District of Pensacola, Florida, Department of the Gulf, to October 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, U.S. Colored Troops, Department of the Gulf, October 1864. 1st Brigade, District of West Florida, to January 1865. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, U.S. Colored Troops, District of West Florida, to February 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, U.S. Colored Troops, District of West Florida, to April 1865. Unattached, District of West Florida, to July 1865. Garrison duty at Post of Barrancas, Fla. (6 companies), and Fort Pickens, Pensacola Harbor (4 companies), until December 1865.
In 1906, a company of 167 soldiers of the 25th Infantry was dishonorably discharged without a trial on the grounds of having shot at whites in Brownsville, Texas. In 1972, the accused were found innocent of the charges, and the 1906 order was reversed. As of 1956, the 25th Infantry Regiment had fought in four wars in its 78-year history. The regiment had participated in the Indian Wars, the War with Spain, the Philippine Insurrection, and World War II.