"Fighting for Their Freedom:
United States Colored Troops"
is CWSG April 25 Topic
As the Civil War moved into its final year, the Union army began to make more use of black men -- many of whom were freed slaves -- and about 178,000 blacks, or "colored" as they were called then, eventually joined, accounting for about ten per cent of the entire army. They provided manpower that the South was unable to match. About 40,000 died during the War.
On Friday, April 25, the Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods will hear of the impact these men made in turning the tide of war. The meeting, which is open to the public is at 10:30 a.m. at the Woods Center, 108 Fairway Drive.
Steward Henderson, a member of the 23rd Regiment of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) living historians unit, will present “Fighting for Their Freedom: The United States Colored Troops.”
Today’s 23rd Regiment USCT promotes a greater awareness and understanding of African American military service and sacrifice during the Civil War, their lasting contribution to freedom, and continued legacy and relevance to freedom and democracy. Through a variety of venues and programs, the living historians of this regiment commemorate the role of the 23rd USCT and other USCT regiments in the Civil War and their continued importance in today's America.
The present-day 23rd USCT living history unit represents the actual 23rd regiment that fought in our part of Virginia. Some of its members were freed black men from Orange and Spotsylvania counties.
Steward Henderson has been a seasonal park historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park for the past seven years and was a National Park Service volunteer for two years before that. He attended Howard University and retired after a 35-year career in the financial services field. He has had a life-long interest in the Civil War and is a co-founder of the 23rd Regiment USCT, which is affiliated with the John J. Wright Educational and Cultural Center Museum in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
The Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods was formed primarily to research and present the historical events and actions that took place during the Battle of the Wilderness, especially in and around what is today’s Lake of the Woods area. It meets at the Woods Center, 108 Fairway Drive, at 10:30 a.m. on the fourth Friday of each month, except May and November through January. The meetings are free and open to all with an interest in the Civil War.