after the emancipation proclamation was announced, black recruitment was pursued in earnest. volunteers from south carolina, tennessee, and massachusetts filled the first authorized black regiments. however recruitment was slow until the support of prominent figures of african american cultures such as frederick douglass and martin delany. martin delany was commissioned as a major, the first african-american field officer in the united states army during the american civil war and was active in recruiting blacks for the united states colored troops. frederick douglass, on the other hand, encouraged black men to become soldiers to ensure eventual full citizenship. volunteers began to respond, and in may 1863 the government established the bureau of colored troops to manage the burgeoning numbers of black soldiers.