 Riker's Island was used as a military training ground for both white and United States Colored Troops during the Civil War; the latter were authorized in 1863.New soldiers were trained at "Camp Astor", named for the millionaire John Jacob Astor III, who provided funding for the army.Among the early regiments trained at Camp Astor were the Anderson Zouaves, commanded by Col. John Lafayette Riker, a descendant of the family who had owned the island.