OVERVIEW: Organized at Baltimore, Md., October 19, 1864. Moved to City Point, Va., October 26, 1864. Attached to Provisional Brigade, 3rd Division, 18th Corps, Army of the James, to December, 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 25th Corps and Dept. of Texas, to February, 1866.

SERVICE: Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond November, 1864. to April, 1865. Occupation of Richmond April 3, 1865. Duty in the Dept. of Virginia till June. Moved to Brazos Santiago, Texas, June and July. Duty at Brownsville and at various points on the Rio Grande till February, 1866. Mustered out February 6, 1866.

The records for this regiment have not yet been indexed - meaning it is not yet possible to search by location or name. Identifying men in this regiment requires painstaking, page-by-page research of thousdands of documents. It is likely there are many more men with ties to Williamson County, TN who served in this regiment. This is true for all the men who served in the 56th through the 138th US Colored Infantry regiments.

Cpl. Rufus Hightower

One Williamson County man is known to have served in the 118th US Colored Infantry Regiment. Rufus Hightower was born in Williamson County around 1845 and enlisted for a one-year term in Bowling Green, Kentucky on September 22, 1864. He served as a substitute for a drafted white man. From February to May 1865, he served as a bugler and then was the bugler at the regimental headquarters in June 1865. In July 1865 he was the chief bugler of the regiment. Hightower mustered out in Brownsville, Texas, on September 23, 1865. Following the war, he married Sallie Gamble in Nashville. He worked as a watchman for the federal government. It is not yet known when or where he died.

Resources:

• Battle Unit Details, National Park Service

• Regimental and Company Books of the 118th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment, National Archive

• Family Search Resources

• Approved Pension Applications for Men Who Served in this Regiment:

  • Approved Pension File for Corporal Silas Locket, Company D, 118th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (SC-536536)

  • Approved Pension File for Mary Brown, Mother of Private Fleming Soaper, Company F, 118th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (WC-393528)

  • Approved Pension File for Fannie Granison, Widow of Private Walker Granison (alias Walker Johnson), Company C, 118th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (WC-433299)

  • Approved Pension File for Sarah Hauls, Widow of Private Cyrus Hauls (alias Cyrus Buckner), Company D, 118th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (WC-748692)

  • Approved Pension File for Josephine W. Bullis, Widow of General John L. Bullis; Company H, 126th New York Infantry Regiment (Corporal); Company A, 118th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (Captain); 41st U.S. Infantry Regiment (2nd Lieutenant) (WC-827648)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Ann Johnson Tinker, Widow of Joseph Tinker, Company I, 118th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC120417)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Beneficiary of Henry Cooksey, Company I, 118th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC117724)

  • Approved Pension Application File for the dependent of John Tobes, Company H, 118th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC81646)

  • Approved Pension Application File for the dependent of Eli White, Company H, 118th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC104384)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Emily Whitsell, Widow of Hawkins Whitsell, Company B, 118th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC130017)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Caroline Elam, Widow of Thomas Elam, Company D, 118th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC112116)