Six Years a Volunteer
Cartes de visite by unidentified photographers A farm laborer in Maine when the Civil War began, Charles Thurston Hilton volunteered in the ranks of Company B of his home state’s 8th Infantry in the summer of 1861. Hilton and his comrades spent much of the next three years on duty along the Atlantic coast, participating in early and successful operations against Port Royal, S.C., and Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Ga.
Military life agreed with Hilton. By the spring of 1864, he had earned his corporal’s stripes and moved with the rest of the regiment to Virginia, where they joined the Army of the James for the campaign against Petersburg and Richmond.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, a new regiment of Black soldiers formed and mustered into the U.S. Army as the 117th U.S. Colored Infantry. It joined the Army of the James in late 1864 and participated in the Virginia military operations.
At some point, Hilton became interested in advancing his army career with the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) and passed the rigid officer’s examination. He received a commission as a second lieutenant in early May 1865, just a few weeks after the surrender by Gen. Robert E. Lee of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox.
Hilton and his new comrades in the 117th left Virginia in June 1865 for Texas to beef up the nation’s military presence as French activities in Mexico threatened the southern border. The 117th spent the next two years on duty at Brownsville and along the Rio Grande River.
Hilton, pictured here in his second lieutenant’s uniform, stands with two unidentified civilians in the portrait on the right. Exactly where this photograph was taken is not known. The palms suggest Texas, and his rank supports this location. The picket fence may be part of an enclosure at a military post.
Hilton proved a capable officer, rising in rank to first lieutenant and regimental quartermaster. He also served stints as acting adjutant of the 117th and as post quartermaster and commissary of Ringgold Barracks.
Hilton stood for this portrait, left, in his role as quartermaster, wearing a short jacket with subdued rank, dark trousers, and a staff officer’s hat. Though the photographer is unidentified, he likely posed for it in Texas or somewhere on the way home soon after mustering out in the summer of 1867. He received a brevet rank of captain for meritorious and gallant service during the war.
Altogether, Hilton's career in uniform spanned six years. Later in life, he claimed to have had the longest service of any volunteer soldier during the war, dating from his July 1861 enrollment in the 8th Maine Infantry until receiving his discharge in August 1867. Hundreds, if not several thousand, White officers in the USCT could likely make similar claims.
Hilton returned to Maine and married Henrietta Johnson Glidden (1843-1928). They started a family that grew to include seven children. Along the way, the family moved west, making their home in Kansas and Missouri before settling in California.
Hilton remained active in his local National Guard and the Grand Army of the Republic. He died in July 1918, just a few months after the United States declared war on Germany and became directly involved in World War I.
I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.
Six Years a Volunteer
Cartes de visite by unidentified photographers A farm laborer in Maine when the Civil War began, Charles Thurston Hilton volunteered in the ranks of Company B of his home state’s 8th Infantry in the summer of 1861. Hilton and his comrades spent much of the next three years on duty along the Atlantic coast, participating in early and successful operations against Port Royal, S.C., and Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Ga.
Military life agreed with Hilton. By the spring of 1864, he had earned his corporal’s stripes and moved with the rest of the regiment to Virginia, where they joined the Army of the James for the campaign against Petersburg and Richmond.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, a new regiment of Black soldiers formed and mustered into the U.S. Army as the 117th U.S. Colored Infantry. It joined the Army of the James in late 1864 and participated in the Virginia military operations.
At some point, Hilton became interested in advancing his army career with the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) and passed the rigid officer’s examination. He received a commission as a second lieutenant in early May 1865, just a few weeks after the surrender by Gen. Robert E. Lee of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox.
Hilton and his new comrades in the 117th left Virginia in June 1865 for Texas to beef up the nation’s military presence as French activities in Mexico threatened the southern border. The 117th spent the next two years on duty at Brownsville and along the Rio Grande River.
Hilton, pictured here in his second lieutenant’s uniform, stands with two unidentified civilians in the portrait on the right. Exactly where this photograph was taken is not known. The palms suggest Texas, and his rank supports this location. The picket fence may be part of an enclosure at a military post.
Hilton proved a capable officer, rising in rank to first lieutenant and regimental quartermaster. He also served stints as acting adjutant of the 117th and as post quartermaster and commissary of Ringgold Barracks.
Hilton stood for this portrait, left, in his role as quartermaster, wearing a short jacket with subdued rank, dark trousers, and a staff officer’s hat. Though the photographer is unidentified, he likely posed for it in Texas or somewhere on the way home soon after mustering out in the summer of 1867. He received a brevet rank of captain for meritorious and gallant service during the war.
Altogether, Hilton's career in uniform spanned six years. Later in life, he claimed to have had the longest service of any volunteer soldier during the war, dating from his July 1861 enrollment in the 8th Maine Infantry until receiving his discharge in August 1867. Hundreds, if not several thousand, White officers in the USCT could likely make similar claims.
Hilton returned to Maine and married Henrietta Johnson Glidden (1843-1928). They started a family that grew to include seven children. Along the way, the family moved west, making their home in Kansas and Missouri before settling in California.
Hilton remained active in his local National Guard and the Grand Army of the Republic. He died in July 1918, just a few months after the United States declared war on Germany and became directly involved in World War I.
I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.