African American Troops at Honey Hill

African American Troops at Honey Hill. . , The black regiments that participated in the battle of Honey Hill were the 32nd (raised in Pennsylvania), the 35th (raised in North Carolina) and the roand (raised in Michigan), United States Colored Troops (USCT) and the 54th and 55th Massachusetts. Two regiments, the 34th (raised at Port Royal, SC) and the 26th (raised in New York) USCT, guarded the Federal lines of communication back to the point of embarkation at Boyd's Landing., At the Battle of Honey Hill, the black regiments were deployed in the center of the Union line with the 35th USCT and elements of the 55th and 54th Massachusetts taking heavy casualties while making attacks against the Confederate defenses. Corporal Andrew Smith of the 55th Massachusetts was one of four Medal of Honor recipients. Smith, upon the death of the National Flag bearer, picked up the Flag and sustained it during the charge, to rally the survivors of his regiment., Both white and black troops served well and with valor at the Battle of Honey Hill, and though they were unable to break the Confederate defenses, the department's policy of employing the regiments together in battle again proved effective, proving that on a battlefield, all men are equal.