On May 13, 1865, more than a month after General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, the Sixty-second U.S. Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) joined two white regiments to fight the Battle of Palmito Ranch near White’s Ranch, Texas — the last land battle of the American Civil War. The 62nd U.S.C.T., composed of African American soldiers, demonstrated bravery and discipline even as the war had officially drawn to a close. Ironically, Confederate forces won this skirmish, despite the South’s overall defeat. The participation of Black troops in this final confrontation symbolized both the contradictions and the courage embedded in the Union’s fight for freedom.
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