On March 27, 1865, a column of Black recruits in new blue uniforms marched down Center Street past the location of Gen. William Sherman's headquarters after just mustering in as the United States Colored Infantry. Their march was both literal and metaphorical, as each step toward joining the U.S. Army brought personal pride and advanced the cause of their race. The regiment had unusual beginnings, for these men had first served as volunteer pioneers for Sherman's 60,000 troops during the winter of 1864 and the spring of 1865. During the Carolinas Campaign, 1,100 determined Black men used picks, axes, and shovels to corduroy roads, build bridges, and clear trees through the forests of Georgia, the frozen swamps of South Carolina, and the sandy soil of North Carolina. After Sherman's army reached Goldsboro tattered and shoeless and was resupplied at the Union railhead there, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, impressed with the pioneers' grit, ordered them organized as a USCT regiment. After a physical examination, those who passed mustered into the 135th under Sherman's gaze. Three weeks later, under the command of Col. John Gurley, the men of the 135th left Goldsboro carrying muskets instead of tools and faced hard service in the pursuit of Gen. Joe Johnston's Confederate army. On May 24, 1865, the 135th paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue in the Grand Review of the Armies to celebrate Union victory. They were the only USCT regiment in the march and represented the more than 200,000 Black soldiers who fought for their freedom.