(1825 – May 27, 1863)

Born as a slave in Louisiana, Andre Cailloux was one of the first African American soldiers to give his life during the civil war. As a young man, he learned the trade of cigar-making in New Orleans which he made a living when he became a free man. When the Civil War broke out he joined the Union Army and later became a martyr during the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana.

(June 21, 1832 - August 1, 1887)

A slave turned free man from Georgetown, South Carolina, Rainey is recognized as the first black person to serve in the US House of Representatives and the second African-American in the United States Congress. During the Civil War, he was forcefully conscripted by the confederates to work on the fortifications in Charleston, South Carolina. He and his family later escaped to Bermuda until the end of the war. Upon his return to the US, he joined the Republican Party where he served in the executive committee, then later elected as a state senator of South Carolina.

(December 30, 1842 - May 15, 1095)

Walls was born into slavery near Winchester, Virginia. He was forced to join and work for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. In 1862, he was captured by the Union Army in Yorktown, and after a year, he enlisted to the US Colored Troops and rose to the rank of corporal. He ended his service to the USCT in Florida and moved to Alachua County. From 1871 - 1876, he was elected as the first African-American representative of Florida in the United States Congress during the Reconstruction Era. He also served four terms in the Florida State Senate.

(March 14, 1842 - February 14, 1847)

Robert De Large was born to mixed-race parents in Aiken, South Carolina. His family was slaveholders and part of the mulatto elite of Charleston. After his high school education, he became a tailor and farmer. During the Civil War, he was conscripted by the Confederate Navy where he earned a considerate sum and established a stake when the war was over. In 1868, he was elected as a delegate to the South Carolina Constitutional Convention. Later on, he was elected as representative to the South Carolina House of Representatives, and then to the United States Congress.

(March 17, 1825 - March 21, 1894)

Benjamin Turner was born into slavery in Halifax County, North Carolina, and later moved with his mother to Alabama at the age of five due to force migration of the internal slave trade. Most likely, he remained as a slave until the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. When he gained his freedom, he founded a livery stable in Selma, Alabama. He joined the Republican Party and was elected as tax collector of Dallas County, Alabama in 1867. After which he served as councilman of the city of Selma in 1869. He was then elected to the US house of Representatives representing the 1st congressional district of Alabama in the 42nd United States Congress.

(June 16, 1837 – May 3, 1919)

John Lawson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He joined the US Navy from New York in 1863. He was seriously wounded when he was serving as a member of the berth deck ammunition party of USS Hartford during the Battle of Mobile Bay. Despite his serious injuries and the death of many of his crew, he never left his post and continued to supply ammunitions to the ship's artillery. Because of his heroism, he received the Medal of Honor.

(September 16, 1839 – September 29, 1905)

Gardner was born in Gloucester, Virginia where he worked as an oysterman before joining the Union Army during the American Civil War. He became a private of the. Company I of the 36th Regiment United States Colored Troops Troops. He and his regiment were assigned to assault Confederate defenses during the Battle of Chaffin's Farm. Later after the battle, he rose to the rank of sergeant in recognition of his bravery. He was also given the highest honor for a soldier, the Medal of Honor.