were the first to welcome General Butler when he
entered New Orleans, and the fact of the organization of the "Native
Guard" by the Confederates was used by General Butler as the basis for
the organization of three colored regiments of "Native Guards," all
the line officers of which were colored men. Governor Pinchback, who
was a captain in one of these regiments, tells the fate of these early
colored officers.

"There were," he writes, "in New Orleans some colored soldiers known
as 'Native Guards' before the arrival of the Federal soldiers, but I
do not know much about them. It was a knowledge of this fact that
induced General Butler, then in command of the Department of the Gulf,
to organize three regiments of colored soldiers, viz: The First,
Second and Third Regiments of Native Guards.

"The First Regiment of Louisiana Native Guards, Colonel Stafford
commanding, with all the field officers white, and a full complement
of line officers (30) colored, was mustered into service at New
Orleans September 27, 1862, for three years. Soon after General Banks
took command of the department and changed the designation of the
regiment to First Infantry, Corps d'Afrique. April 4th, 1864, it was
changed again to Seventy-third United States Colored Infantry.

[Transcriber's Note: This footnote appeared in the text
without a footnote anchor:

"On the 23d of November, 1861, there was a grand review of
the Confederate troops stationed at New Orleans. An
Associated Press despatch announced that the line was seven
miles long. The feature of the review, however, was one
regiment of fourteen hundred free colored men. Another grand
review followed the next spring, and on the appearance of
rebel negroes a local paper made the following comment:

"'We must also pay a deserved compliment to the companies of
free colored men, all very well drilled and comfortably
uniformed. Most of these companies, quite unaided by the
administration, have supplied themselves with arms without
regard to cost or trouble. On the same day one of these
negro companies was presented with a flag, and every
evidence of public approbation was manifest.'"

(Williams's Negro Troops in the Rebellion, pp. 83-4)]

"The Second Louisiana Native Guards, with Colonel N.W. Daniels and
Lieutenant-Colonel Hall, white, and Major Francis E. Dumas, colored,
and all the line officers color