the bureau of colored troops brought efficiency to the usct regiments, but not always equitable treatment. despite objections from black leaders, the bureau insisted on assigning only white men to commissioned officer positions. although a small number of black soldiers received commissions by the end of the war—including the virginia-born martin r. delany—and many served as non commissioned officers, the usct remained primarily an organization led by whites. officials in the army and in the government also initially assumed that black regiments would rarely, if ever, be used in combat. as a result, black soldiers endured a disproportionate share of labor duty. also the assumption that black soldiers were workers, not fighters, led to inequities in pay. it was initially indicated that black soldiers would be paid $13 per month, which was the wage that white soldiers received. but in the militia act of 1862, congress set the pay for black soldiers at $10 per month, $3 of which could be in clothing, which was the rate for military laborers. black soldiers were also often denied recruitment bounties routinely offered to white soldiers, and were rarely eligible to collect aid for dependents, a benefit that state legislation often made available to white men serving in the ranks.