Henry Powell was born into slavery in Albemarle County, Virginia, around 1825. He enlisted in the Union army on November 13, 1863, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, for a period of three years, and he mustered into Company E of the 63rd USCT Infantry Regiment later that day. His enlistment records describe him as 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with a black complexion, black hair, and black eyes. His regiment was not formally organized until March 1864.

The regiment was assigned to post and garrison duty in Natchez, Mississippi, in the District of Vicksburg. The men took part in a skirmish at Waterproof, Louisiana, on April 20, 1864, and another one at Ashwood, Mississippi, on June 25. Powell was reported absent without leave on August 18, and he was designated as a deserter on October 23 at Davis Bend (the plantation of Confederate President Jefferson Davis's brother). No known records exist after his desertion from the Union army.