Consists of a complete set of muster rolls for the 39th Infantry Regiment of United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T) for the period spanning from August 31st to October 31st, 1864, which document African American soldiers who fought for the United States Army during the American Civil War. The rolls were taken by Colonel Ozora Pierson Stearns (1831-1896) at the regiment's encampment at Poplar Springs Church, near Petersburg, Virginia, and provide an account of the ten companies (A through K) under his command. An eleventh form registers the field and staff of the unit. The forms are thoroughly filled in, with all the names of enlisted men and officers, as well as the dates and places from which they joined the regiment. Most came from Baltimore and surrounding Maryland counties, but many also were from New York (including both New York City and elsewhere in the state), Delaware, Connecticut, and several other northeastern states. The rolls provide many details about men who were absent from the muster because of illness or other assigned duties. They also list losses from desertion and death. Most of the deaths recorded are noted as the result of disease rather than from battle or wounds received therein. Among those listed is Sergeant Decatur Dorsey (1836-1891) of Company B; Dorsey was an African American officer who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of the Crater and settled in Hoboken, New Jersey, after the war.