Black troops were mainly recruited from freed former slaves, which Lynch estimates at a figure of 1,554 freedmen.
blˈæk tɹˈuːps wɜː mˈeɪnli ɹᵻkɹˈuːɾᵻd fɹʌm fɹˈiːd fˈɔːɹmɚ slˈeɪvz, wˌɪtʃ lˈɪntʃ ˈɛstᵻməts æɾə fˈɪɡjɚɹ ʌv wˈʌn,fˈaɪvhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti fˈoːɹ fɹˈiːdmɛn.