*On this date, 1864, the 41st United States Colored Infantry was formed. This infantry regiment comprised Black enlisted men who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Six companies were formed and ordered to join the Army of the James on October 13. White officers commanded the regiment, which the Bureau of Colored Troops authorized. The 41st United States Colored Infantry was organized at Camp William Penn in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under the command of Colonel Llewellyn F. Haskell.
The regiment was composed of troops from different sections of the state. Pursuing the Confederate Army, the regiment reached Appomattox Court House, where Captain John W. Falconer was mortally wounded on the skirmish line on the morning of April 9 during the Battle of Appomattox Court House, one of the last battles of the American Civil War.
The regiment engaged in the Siege of Petersburg and Appomattox Campaigns. It was at the unconditional surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. On May 25, the 41st U.S. Colored Infantry embarked for Texas from City Point, Virginia, arriving at the Island of Brazos de Santiago early in June.
The unit was employed in guard and provost duty at Edinburg, Texas, near the Mexico–United States border. On September 30, the remaining forces were consolidated into a battalion of four companies. After a year, the regiment was mustered out of service at Brownsville, Texas on November 10, 1865, and was paid and discharged on December 14, 1865, at Philadelphia. Subsequently, only the muster-out rolls were returned to the Adjutant General's office, and thus, only the names of those men and their companies were accounted for.
Casualties
The regiment lost 56 men during service; one officer was killed or mortally wounded, and 55 officers and enlisted men died of disease. Captain John W. Falconer of Company A was the only field casualty from the USCT during the final battle of Appomattox Court House.
