Edward Ferrero (January 18, 1831 – December 11, 1899) was one of the leading dance instructors, choreographers, and ballroom operators in the United States. He also served as a United States Army general in the American Civil War, most remembered for his dishonorable conduct in the Battle of the Crater, reported drinking with another general behind the lines, while both their units were virtually destroyed.
Edward Ferrero commanded a division of Negro troops attached to the Army of the Potomac at the start of the 1864 campaign in the Second American Revolution. Formally known as United States Colored Troops, Ferrero's men were all black save for their white commissioned officers, who were distinguished by their unusually fancy uniforms.
Despite the superb training, courage, and equipment of Ferrero's division, his force was devastated by ConfederateAK-47s during the Army of the Potomac's harrowing defeat at the Battle of Bealeton.[1] Casualties were particularly severe for the black soldiers and their white officers, in no small part due to a fierce mutual hatred between the white Confederate soldiers and the United States Colored Troops. Ferrero's division went into the 1864 campaign at full strength and came out of it in tatters.
