6th Regiment United States Colored Troops

Our Mission
We the members of the 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops are a charitable organization, whose purpose is to commemorate the contributions of African Americans to the military history of the United States. We tell the story using historical reenactments, memorial ceremonies, parades, schools and various educational and social venues.

Since 2000, the 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops, Reenactors Inc. has recaptured the proud heritage of the United States Colored Troops of the American Civil War and the 1st Rhode Island Regiment of the American Revolution. We portray soldiers, sailors and other roles related to the historical events and personalities, associated with those time periods. The 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops, Reenactors Inc., recreates the historic 6th Regiment United States Colored Infantry, a battle-tested African American regiment with local historical ties to Trenton and the greater Delaware Valley who won three Medals of Honor during the Civil War.
In 2005 the 6th Reg. USCT expanded its repertoire of impressions by creating a Revolutionary War unit, the “1st Rhode Island Regiment”, which portrays the Continental Army's “Black Regiment”.
The 6th USCT participates in the Camp Olden Civil War Round Table and provides docents for a Civil War and Native American Museum in Veterans Park and East Jersey Olde Towne Village. The regiment actively volunteers at the Trenton Old Barracks Museum, are members of the United States Colored Troops Living History Association, The Continental Line, and are official stakeholders in the Washington Crossing Park Association.

Beyond reenacting battles where drilling and battlefield maneuvers are emphasized, the 6th Regiment USCT is also a "living history" regiment, which promotes education and community service. Our activities include the USCT Cadets (age 9-17), honor guards at ceremonial events, parades, school, library and Senior Center presentations and lectures. We are the hosts for two annual programs, "Four Centuries of African American Soldiers" and "Washington's Landing In New Jersey".

In 2019 the 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops Reenactors Inc. were selected to be the nonprofit sponsors of the Locust Hill Project to restore the Locust Hill Cemetery and open the city of Trenton's first Black Museum.

Our strategy of "participation and engagement" provides us with many opportunities to "tell the story" at various venues to close the information gaps regarding African American history.

PARTICIPATION
The 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops Reenactors Inc. are the nonprofit sponsors of the Locust Hill Project which is a collaboration of several community-based stakeholders whose purpose is the restoration of the segregated Locust Hill Cemetery and to open the first black museum in the city of Trenton at 73 Hart Avenue (circa 1876), to commemorate the lives of the 200-300 persons buried in the Locust Hill Cemetery. The museum will host history and humanities programming, a genealogy research center and serve as a gathering place for use by the community.

ENGAGEMENT
In order to gain public support for the Locust Hill Project and engage with existing historical organizations, the 6th USCT participates in the Camp Olden Civil War Round Table in Hamilton NJ, and acts as docents for and East Jersey Olde Towne Village in Piscataway NJ. The regiment volunteers at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton NJ, are members of the United States Colored Troops Living History Association, The Continental Line, and are stakeholders in the Washington Crossing Park Association.

Beyond reenacting battles where drilling and battlefield maneuvers are emphasized, the 6th USCT is a "living history" regiment, which promotes education and community service. Our activities include the USCT Cadets (ages 9-17), ceremonial honor guards, parades, schools, libraries and Senior Centers. We are the hosts for two annual programs, "Four Centuries of African American Soldiers" and "Washington's Landing In New Jersey".

6th Regiment United States Colored Troops also know as the 1st Rhode Island Regiment Reenactors Inc., is a
Internal Revenue Service designated 501-C3 Non-Profit Organization in good standing that is a Registered New Jersey Charity by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs where it is listed as "compliant" with all reporting regulations.
The 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops has been determined to be qualified to receive grants from the NJ Council for the Humanities, NJ Historical Commission, Mercer County Division of Cultural Heritage and the City of Trenton Department of Recreation and Culture.

Partnerships
The 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops yearly presentation “Four Centuries of African American Soldiers” special program has facilitated the establishment of partnerships with several regional historic sites e.g., The Old Barracks Museum, the 1719 William Trent House Museum and Washington Crossing State Park. These partnerships have resulted in several programs presented at these venues beyond the “Four Centuries of African Soldiers” program. Examples are “In Graves of Their Own” – The story of the Locust Hill Cemetery, “Rochambeau’s March Through New Jersey” and the “Crossing to Victory” short film for the Washington Crossing Park Association.
A demonstration of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment’s expanding partnerships, it proposed and implemented a new signature event, “Washington’s Landing in New Jersey”. This event was planned as a precursor to the 250th Anniversary of the Revolution Celebration in 2026. It was done in collaboration with the Washington Crossing Park Association, Swann Foundation, New Jersey Parks and Recreation, New Jersey Historical Commission, Revolution NJ, the Mercer County Cultural Heritage Commission and New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company.

Progress We Have Made
As evidence for the recognition we have earned, the 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops portraying the 1st Rhode Island Regiment were awarded the 2023 NAACP of Trenton, "Keeper of History Award" for "keeping alive the rich history of African American Soldiers who served our country with valor during the American Revolution".

In 2013, the 6th USCT was in the front ranks in President Obama's Inaugural Parade. Our members were selected by Historical Artist Don Troiani as models for his first paintings of African American military units. "Three Medals of Honor" depicts the 6th Regiment United States Colored Infantry at the "Battle of New Market Heights" displayed at the Union League of Philadelphia, and in "Brave Men As Ever Fought" depicting the 1st Rhode Island Regiment currently on display in the Museum of the American Revolution.
Our members appear in numerous films, videos, on radio and TV such as "Slavery and the Making of America" in 2004. We can be seen in the Visitor's Center films at Valley Forge National Park and Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. We are highly sought after by Trenton Public Schools for our historical presentations, particularly during Black History Month and Juneteenth.

Over the span of 23 years our appearances at events in New Jersey are innumerable, however, the most auspicious moments for us occurs at an event when we pass a family of African Americans, and a small voice says pointing, "look Mommy there are black men here too"....for us it is mission accomplished. It is challenging to fully articulate the inestimable value to this current generation of African Americans to see a living portrayal of their progenitors and to hear the legion of stories about their ancestor's contributions to American history. It is impossible to calculate the value of instilling a sense of pride and self-worth in the psyche of a people who must continually struggle against society's projection that they are "less than" others. When the demonstrable facts of history prove that African Americans have sacrificed all for the success of the American Experiment, a deeper sense of ownership in the American dream is fertilized. As African Americans learn more about their history, they come to appreciate that they, and their ancestors, are not mere observers of history, but history makers. That what they did had tangible benefits to the United States, and that Black Lives Matter, then and now. It is our mission to "tell the story".