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61st U.S. Colored Troops Pursue General Forrest

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Black History

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Union Troops Pursue Confederate General Forrest--Aided by 61st U.S. Colored Troops

c. 1865, Union Troops Pursue Confederate General Forrest--Aided by 61st U.S. Colored Troops, Very Fine.
Manuscript Note, undated, written in pencil on 8.25" x 6.75" paper, doublesided, describing the pursuit of Confederate General Forrest--who would later found the Ku Klux Klan! Toned and stained sheet, with interesting details about the participation of "colored troops" in the pursuit:
"On the evening of the 26th we took the cars for cairo where we camped at night on the 27th. Slept all night in the cars and nexy day just at dark embarked on board the steamer Belle of St. Louis (A fine boat but very crowded) for Memphis where we arrived on the 29th. We disembarked here and.... Washburn went into quarter in town. Here we remained until the 1st of May when without tents or cooking utensils (such things having been left behind in Texas) we took the Memphis & Charleston cars & with 3 or 4000 other troops went out in pursuit of Genl Forrest who was reported at Bolivar Tenn. On this march we were being aided with the 11th Wis. Inf. and the 61 U.S. Colored troops. This is the first time that our unit had been brigaded with with negroes & the men were highly incensed about it & took every opportunity of showing their aversion to the Colored troops - We went out on the R.R. 34 miles to where a bridge had been burned by the rebels where we disembarked & marched on to Moscow a distance of six miles where we encamped for the night (Moscow was burned by negro troops in Jan. 64." The note is unsigned but very intriguing.

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