23rd Infantry Regiment United States Colored Troops

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, today in the gallery, we have members of the reformed 23rd Infantry Regiment United States Colored Troops.

The original 23rd Infantry Regiment USCT was organized at Camp Casey in Arlington and, on May 15, 1864, near Chancellorsville, became the first Black regiment to engage in directed combat against General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, driving back Confederate cavalry and proving their valor under fire.

That regiment went on to serve in Petersburg, at the Crater, and through Appomattox.

Today, the regiment lives again. The reformed regiment serves to preserve that history and honors the legacy of those who fought for freedom, democracy, and liberation.

I hope it will be the will of the body to give them a warm House welcome.