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Joseph C. Shaw was born in Ohio on February 17, 1840. He initially enlisted in the Union Army's Sixth Michigan Infantry Regiment before his discharge at Port Hudson, Louisiana, in September 1863 to accept a commission in the Fifteenth Regiment Corps d'Afrique. This unit, consisting of Black enlisted men with white officers, campaigned in Louisiana until late in the Civil War, when it transferred to Florida. The organization's name later changed to the Ninety-ninth Colored Troops.
Shaw's unit campaigned in Florida for the remainder of the war. In March 1865, the regiment participated in the Union expedition against St. Marks that resulted in the Battle of Natural Bridge. Upon surrender of the Confederacy, the Ninety-ninth served as part of the state's occupying forces until it mustered out of service in 1866. Part of the unit was stationed at Tallahassee during this time. Among the other locations where Shaw served were Key West, Fort Jefferson, Punta Rassa, Charlotte Harbor, Cedar Key, Perry, and St. Marks.
During the latter part of the war, Shaw suffered from an illness he contracted while in Louisiana. Due to this illness, Shaw served primarily as Regimental Quartermaster. In June and July 1865, Shaw also served on a courts-martial board at Key West.
Summary:
This collection contains the private and official papers of Joseph C. Shaw, who served during the Civil War as a commissioned officer in the United States Ninety-ninth Colored Troops. Shaw's official papers are concerned primarily with his actions as Regimental Quartermaster and courts-martial board member. The records include letters, reports, requisitions, circulars, and orders.
The collection includes a few private letters, most of which Shaw received from family and friends. One file documents Shaw's postwar efforts to obtain a veteran's pension. Another postwar file illustrates Shaw's attempt to clarify some final paper work with the auditors of his accounts as a quartermaster.
This collection provides information on the administration of a Black Union military organization, along with details concerning conditions in the Civil War and in the immediate post-Civil War period in Florida.
Finding Aids:
Folder listing available. 0
Additional Physical Form:
Reproduction Note:
Photocopies.
Location of Originals/Duplicates:
Originals of photocopied letters in possession of donor.
Associated Materials:
Language Notes:
Ownership/Custodial History:
Donor is the great-grandson of Joseph C. Shaw.
Publication Note:
General Note:
Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
United States. Army. --Colored Infantry Regiment, 17th (1861-1865) United States. Army. --Michigan Infantry Regiment, 6th (1861-1863) United States. Army. --Regiment Corps d'Afrique, 15th (1861-1865)
African American soldiers. African Americans History 1863-1877. Florida Civil War (Fla.) Military administration. Natural Bridge (Fla.), Battle of, 1865.
Cedar Key (Fla.) Charlotte Harbor (Fla.) Florida History Civil War, 1861-1865 Fort Jefferson (Fla.) Key West (Fla.) Perry (Fla.) Punta Rassa (Fla.) Saint Marks (Fla.) Tallahassee (Fla.) United States History Civil War, 1861-1865
for detailed listing.