The 107th U.S. Colored Infantry Band The 107th U.S. Colored Infantry Band was photographed at Fort Corcoran in Arlington, Virginia. These 20 African American soldiers with their musical instruments were among the nearly 200,000 black men who volunteered for military service and served as soldiers and sailors to prove their manhood and their worthiness for full citizenship. Some 37,000 black soldiers died during the Civil War. Library of Congress