The regiment was composed of African American enlisted men commanded by white officers and was authorized by the Bureau of Colored Troops which was created by the United States War Department on May 22, 1863.
Colored Infantry was organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania beginning March 12, 1864 for three-year service under the command of Colonel Stephen Bates Yeoman.
The regiment was attached to 1st Brigade, 4th Division, IX Corps, Army of the Potomac, to September 1864.
Colored Infantry mustered out of service October 20, 1865 and was discharged at Philadelphia on November 30, 1865.
Guarded supply trains of the Army of the Potomac through the Wilderness and to Petersburg.
Duty on the Rio Grande opposite Matamoros, Mexico, until October.