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54th Mass. Infantry Regiment, US Colored Troops (The)

54th Mass. Infantry Regiment, US Colored Troops (The) is a Pennsylvania historical marker in Mercersburg, Franklin County, dedicated 2009.

Zion Union Cemetery, Bennett Ave., Mercersburg

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In 1863, the 54th Massachusetts Regiment was among the first Civil War combat units open to African Americans. Troops from Pennsylvania made up more than 20 percent of the acclaimed unit. Mercersburg was second only to Philadelphia in mustering volunteers from the Commonwealth. The valor shown by the regiment improved regard for Black soldiers and helped spur recruiting. Of 38 USCT Civil War veterans buried here, 13 served in the 54th Mass.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1848 · Pennsylvania. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1857 · Pennsylvania. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1859 · Virginia (Herman Boye, 1859) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1871 · Plate H. South Central Pennsylvania. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1900 · Mercersburg, Pennsylvania (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)

Plate H. South Central Pennsylvania, 1871, covering the location of 54th Mass. Infantry Regiment, US Colored Troops (The), with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Plate H. South Central Pennsylvania, 1871, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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Marker data: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission via data.pa.gov

54th Mass. Infantry Regiment, US Colored Troops (The)

Historical maps covering this location

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