67th US Colored Infantry

OVERVIEW: Organized March 11, 1864, from 3rd Missouri Colored Infantry. Attached to Dept. of Missouri to March, 1864. District of Port Hudson, La., Dept. of the Gulf, to June, 1864. Provisional Brigade, District of Morganza, Dept. of the Gulf, to September, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, United States Colored Troops, District of Morganza, Dept. of the Gulf, to February, 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, United States Colored Troops, District of Morganza, Dept. of the Gulf, to May, 1865. Northern District of Louisiana, Dept. of the Gulf, to July, 1865.

SERVICE: Moved from Benton Barracks, Mo., to Port Hudson, La. arriving March 19, 1864, and duty there till June. Moved to Morganza, La., and duty there till June, 1865. Action at Mt. Pleasant Landing, La., May 15, 1864 (Detachment). Expedition from Morganza to Bayou Sara September 6-7, 1864. Moved to Port Hudson June 1, 1865. Consolidated with 65th Regiment, United States Colored Troops, July 12, 1865.

Predecessor unit: MISSOURI VOLUNTEERS. 3rd REGIMENT COLORED INFANTRY. Organized at Benton Barracks, Mo. Designation changed to 67th United States Colored Troops March 11, 1864.

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.

Sgt. Pleasant Patton (1840-1864)

So far, one man from Williamson County has been identified who served in this regiment.  Pleasant Patton was born in Williamson County around 1840. He was enslaved by the Patton family of the Triune area of  Williamson County.  When William Patton died in 1846, his will listed dozens of people he was enslaving - including 7-year-old Pleasant. These enslaved people were divided between William Patton's brothers John T. Patton and Samuel Patton.  At the time of William Patton's death, another brother Thomas Wilson Patton, was acting as his overseer and living on his farm with his wife and family. I believe that Thomas W. Patton's son Joseph W. Patton assumed ownership of Pleasant during this time period and took him to Howard County, Missouri. When Joseph W. Patton died in 1861, his will left his property to his mother Sallie Givens Patton. 

 In 1864, 24-year-old when Pleasant Patton, "presented himself" for enlistment into the US Colored Troops in Howard County, Missouri. He enlisted there on January 24, 1864. A few weeks later, he was sick in the hospital at the Benton Barracks in Saint Louis, Missouri. He recovered and return to his company. On March 1, 1864 he was promoted to Sergeant. 

A few weeks later, the regiment was moved to Port Hudson, Louisiana. They served there through June 1864 when they were moved to Morganza, Louisiana. On September 2, 1864, Sgt. Pleasant Patton died in the Regimental Hospital at Morganza, Louisiana, from "died of dropsy in the chest." No grave has been located.

Resources:

• National Park Service, 67th US Colored Infantry

• Blog posts: From Carter’s Mountain to Morganza Bend, A U.S.C.T. Odyssey , Elizabeth R. Varon

  • (Part I) Wednesday, January 11, 2017

  • (Part II) Wednesday, January 18, 2017

  • (Part III) Wednesday, January 25, 2017

• Approved Pension Files For Men Who Served in This Regiment:

  • Approved Pension File for Charlotte Burns Conway, Widow of Milton Todd (alias Milton Conway), Company H, 67th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment, and Company C, 65th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (WC-846741)

  • Approved Pension File for Ellen Fields, Widow of Private George Fields (alias George Nesbin; alias George Nesby), Company D, 10th U.S. Cavalry Regiment; Company C, 67th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment; and Company H, 65th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (WC-9898)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Esther Russell Jones, Widow of Samuel Henry Jones, Company E, 67th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC113265)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Lorena Reading Reading, Widow of Henry Reading, Company E, 67th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC130426)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Dependents of Reuben Zimmerman, Company A, 67th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC109070)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Beneficiary of Rufus F Abernathy, Company H, 67th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC119058)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Dependents of James H Singleton, Company A, 67th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC94828)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Dependents of George G Roberts, Company E, 67th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC111478)

  • Approved Pension Application File for the Widow of Richard Smith, Company E, 67th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC61773)

  • Approved Pension Application File for Anne Cason, Widow of Anthony Cason, Company K, 67th USCT Infantry Regiment (Application No. WC93848)