<P> The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War . The unit was the first African - American regiment organized in the northern states during the Civil War . Authorized by the Emancipation Proclamation , the regiment consisted of African - American enlisted men commanded by white officers . </P>
what was the first african american regiment in the civil war
The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry