African American Civil War Veterans: Historical Documentation and Preservation In Cemeteries

Abstract

BLACK HISTORY BULLETIN VOL. 80, NO. 2 | 27 80 No.2 AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL WAR VETERANS: HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION AND PRESERVATION IN CEMETERIES By Sarah Lane Within eyesight of my grandfather’s US Navy plaque was a large field with a few dilapidated headstones. This was the historical “colored section” of Washington Cemetery.TherewerenobrightUSflags.Thisdidnotconvey messages of honor or thankfulness from the community for the service of African American veterans. African American veterans in cemeteries across the nation have lacked deserved recognition. Not only is this disparaging to the African American community and families of veterans, but also, without correction, it passes on division among future generations. In the Civil War, over 200,000 African American soldiers and sailors served in the US Army and Navy.1 They served in 163 units that mainly fell under the moniker United States Colored Troops (USCT). Units of African American soldiers began forming as early as 1862. African American Civil War soldiers were given inferior equipment and low pay, and the highest achievable rank was sergeant major.2 However, African American soldiers and sailors held to their determination to fight the chains of oppression; twenty-one-year-old private Samuel Cabble wrote, “I am a soldier now and i shall use my utmost endeavor to strike at the rebellion and the heart of this system that so long has kept us in chains.”3 Despite their bravery and determination, historically, African American Civil War veterans were not fully recognized, and many of their histories have gone untold. Over 150 years after the Civil War, this discrepancy has begun to be addressed through local and national efforts. I had the privilege of being a part of Paul LaRue’s Research History course at Washington High School in Washington Court House, Ohio. The goal of the course was to bring to light little-known history, with a focus on African American history. Some of the most meaningful work I engaged in was researching and documenting the histories of African American veterans buried in local cemeteries. Prior to my arrival in the course, a 2002–2003 class installed a new row of headstones, called Soldier’s Row, for most of the African American Civil War veterans in Washington Cemetery. This was the unattended area I described earlier; now the headstones for African Americans who served in the Civil War stand upright, with flags and proper honors. There is an Ohio historical marker located there (with text written by students) that includes a quotation by USCT veteran Albert Bird, “We have suffered to save the Country; we ought to be remembered.”4 We engaged in similar work in Beech Grove Cemetery near Cincinnati, Ohio. We did not need to take a trip to Gettysburg; there was untold history in our local community cemeteries. In Beech Grove Cemetery, we were actively conserving the history of African American veterans. I was part of a group who documented as many headstones as possible via photograph, leading to the creation of a digital map of the cemetery. My peers and I hoped to spark even greater change and recognition for these soldiers. Carl Westmoreland, senior historian at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and a representative from the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, visited our class. Imagine the difference that can be made if more teachers took the initiative to engage students in documenting and recognizing the contributions of African American veterans. Nationally, similar history documentation and recognition work is being done, including efforts by the National Park Service (NPS). Overall, African American heritage and history continues to be recognized, documented, and honored throughout NPS sites and programs. In 1991, an African burial ground (used in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries) was discovered in New York City. An African Burial Ground National Monument was erected, and in 1993 it became a National Historical Landmark.5 The National Park Service’s efforts have also focused on the documentation and recognition of African American Civil War veterans. In 1997, the Spirit of Freedom statue, also known as the African American Civil War Memorial, was created. It has a wall of soldiers’names and is located in Washington, DC.6 The NPS provides a Civil...