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Primary sourceDocument22 May 1863

War Department General Order 143: Creation of the U.S. Colored Troops

22 May 1863

The 1863 order creating the United States Colored Troops, the Black Union regiments Tubman guided and nursed in South Carolina.

Created the Black Union regiments, including the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, for whom Tubman served as scout and nurse.

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Scanned page of War Department General Orders No. 143, dated Washington, May 22, 1863, with seven numbered paragraphs establishing a Bureau for colored troops in the Adjutant General's Office and related recruiting rules.
War Department General Order 143, 22 May 1863. U.S. National Archives, Record Group 94.

About this source

What it is

This is War Department General Order 143, issued May 22, 1863, which established a Bureau in the Adjutant General's Office to organize regiments of Black Union soldiers. It is held by the U.S. National Archives.

Why it matters

The order created the United States Colored Troops, through which roughly 179,000 Black men eventually served in the Union Army. Harriet Tubman worked directly with units raised under this system, scouting for the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers and nursing soldiers. The order reflects the Union's shift, driven by figures like Frederick Douglass and events like the Emancipation Proclamation, toward enlisting Black Americans as soldiers.

Look closer

  • Why did the government wait until 1863 to allow Black men to serve as soldiers?
  • What does the order's bureaucratic language (bureaus, boards, inspectors) tell you about how the military organized this change?
  • How does this document connect to Tubman's personal work as a scout and nurse?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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