During the Civil War, Kentucky, was the last state to accept African American men into their army.

June 13, 1864, restrictions were lifted requiring men to be free or have their owner's written permission to engage in the war; From that point forward anyone that enlisted was emancipated.

Until January 1865 it was attached to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, District of Kentucky, Dept.

The regiment was responsible for garrison duty at Bowling Green, Camp Nelson and other points until April, 1866.

[5] Information about the regiment has been published in Peter Bruner's A Slave's Adventures Toward Freedom and the memoir of Elijah P. Marrs, a sergeant in company L.[2] Camp Nelson became the third largest recruiting and training center for African American men: More than 10,000 African American men were recruited at Camp Nelson.