Often overshadowed by the 54th, the 55th Massachusetts Infantry had an illustrious record of service equal to its predecessor.
So many men had been recruited for the 54th Massachusetts that a second regiment of African-American soldiers was organized. By the end of June 1863, the 55th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was ready for service, and was sent to South Carolina. The regiment was employed in constructing fortifications in Charleston Harbor during the summer and fall of 1863. The 55th fought bravely in several battles, and lost over 200 men in combat. At the end of the war, the 55th was employed in policing the South Carolina countryside before returning to Boston in September 1865.
Regimental return of the 55th Massachusetts Infantry
This return lists the numbers of men enlisted in the 55th Regiment and gives their places of birth. More than half the states in the Union were represented in the regiment, along with Canada and Africa.
Massachusetts Archives
Document conserved through the generosity of the Military Historical Society of Massachusetts.
African-American Soldiers in Fort Wagner, 1863
Fort Wagner was finally captured in September 1863. Later, it was occupied by both the 54th and 55th Massachusetts infantry regiments.
Courtesy of Massachusetts Historical Society
Detail of "Presentation of Colors to the Fifty-fifth Regiment"
This newspaper clipping describes the presentation of flags to the 55th Massachusetts Infantry before it left for the front. After the war, the flags donated by the African-American women of Ohio were given to Governor Andrew. The national and state flags were returned to the Massachusetts State House, where they are kept to this day.
Massachusetts Archives
The men of the 55th Infantry Regiment were a diverse mix of soldiers from all parts of the country and all corners of the globe. An escaped slave living in Illinois, twenty year-old Andrew Jackson Smith enlisted in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry early in 1863. During fierce fighting at Honey Hill, South Carolina, in 1864, Smith took up the regimental colors after the bearer was killed by enemy fire. Even though a third of the regiment was killed and wounded in the fighting, Smith continued to wave the flag defiantly in the face of enemy fire. His heroism would go unrecognized until 2001, when President Clinton posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Andrew Jackson Smith for his bravery under fire. The medal was presented to Sergeant Smith’s descendents who had worked tirelessly for the recognition of their ancestor’s heroic achievements.
Sergeant Andrew Jackson Smith, 55th Massachusetts Infantry
Andrew Jackson Smith was one of only two soldiers in the African-American regiments from Massachusetts to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Courtesy State Library of Massachusetts, Special Collections
Private Nicholas Saib, 55th Massachusetts Infantry
Born Mohammed Ali Ben Saib in the Sudan, Nicholas Saib was a slave in Africa, Asia, and Europe before gaining his freedom and migrating to the United States. He was fluent in five languages, and worked as a teacher after the war.
Courtesy of Massachusetts Historical Society
Newspaper article about Nicholas Saib
Nicholas Saib was a subject of fascination for many authors. He was featured in an article in the Atlantic Monthly in 1867, and in 1873 he published his autobiography.
Courtesy of Massachusetts Historical Society
William H. Dupree, Massachusetts 55th Volunteer Infantry
A plasterer from Chillicothe, Ohio, Dupree mustered in as a Private on June 22, 1863. He received a commission as 2nd Lieutenant on May 30, 1864 and was transferred to Company I. He mustered out on August 29, 1865 and settled in Boston.
Courtesy of The League of Women for Community Service
James H. Jackson, Massachusetts 55th Volunteer Infantry
A resident of Adrian, Michigan, and a blacksmith by trade, Jackson was originally mustered into the 54th Regiment on May 13, 1863, but was transferred to the 55th Regiment as a Sergeant two weeks later at Readville. He mustered out on August 29, 1865, having attained the rank of 1st Sergeant.
Courtesy of State Library of Massachusetts, Special Collections