
Powhatan Beaty had a name for theater, but he didn’t initially have the freedom to participate in it. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress. Du Bois for the Negro Exhibit of the American Section at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900 to show the economic and social progress of African Americans since emancipation. This photograph was part of the material prepared by W.E.B. Powhatan Beaty, Medal of Honor recipient. In 2013, a historical marker was placed in the Indianola Cemetery in Texas honoring Barnes’ memory. Butler also awarded the Butler Medal to 200 African-American soldiers, including Barnes, for their heroism during the battle. On April 6, 1865, Barnes was awarded the MOH for his role “among the first to enter enemy works, although wounded.” Remarkably, of the 16 black MOH American Civil War recipients, 14 were awarded for their roles during this major battle. We struggled through two lines of abatis, a few getting through the palisades, but it was sheer madness.” It was very evident that there was too much work cut out for our two regiments. Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood, another Medal of Honor recipient, wrote of the first wave of the assault in his diary: “It was a deadly hailstorm of bullets sweeping men down as hail-stones sweep the leaves from trees. Alongside the 4th, 5th, 6th and 36th USCT, his regiment assaulted five infantry regiments of Confederates. Colored Troops (USCT) and led a historic charge in Virginia during The Battle of New Market Heights (Battle of Chaffin’s Farm), the first major battle led by African-American troops. Barnes, a 23-year-old farmer from Maryland, enlisted in the Union Army in 1864. wars, Americans received the MOH for heroism in fighting against other Americans. Photo courtesy of .ĭuring the Civil War, unlike other U.S.

Barnes was placed at the Indianola Cemetery. In 2013, a Texas Historical Marker in honor of Sergeant William H. Anderson and two others from the daring mission received the highest military honor 49 years later. Major General Adelbert Ames recommended all 12 soldiers for the Medal of Honor, but the report was lost. Martin Curtis’ brigade, the main assault force on Fort Fisher. The all-volunteer force carried axes and equipment for the job while Confederate snipers suppressed with direct fire.Īnderson and 12 others cleared the way for Brigadier General N. 15, 1865, he was a part of a 15-man advanced element responsible for clearing wooden palisades in front of Shepherd’s Battery. He served with Company K, 142nd New York Volunteers, and on Jan. He immigrated to New York, where he worked on a farm, before volunteering to serve in the Union Army. Photo courtesy of the Fort Fisher Historical Museum.īruce Anderson was born in Mexico on July 27, 1845. 31, 1864, to enlist in Company K of the 142 New York infantry.
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AMERICAN CIVIL WARīorn a free person of color in 1845 in Oswego County, New York, Anderson was a teenage farmer when he went to Schenectady on Aug. In total, there are 89 names on this distinguished list. Marine earned the distinction during the Vietnam War.

Army veterans from the all-black 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division during the Korean War, and the first black U.S. In 1997, President Bill Clinton upgraded seven Distinguished Service Cross awards to the Medal of Honor. It’s worth noting that no black service members were awarded the MOH during or immediately after World War II. Only one African American, Robert Augustus Sweeney, received the Medal of Honor twice, and both were for life-saving actions during peacetime. who earned the nom de guerre “Lady Al Capone” and the notorious Harlem Hellfighters, a member of which appears on this very list. Last year at Coffee or Die, we honored the 2nd Ranger Company and their battles during the Korean War Odessa Madre, a flamboyant gangster from Washington, D.C. To this day, medals of valor are upgraded or reviewed, giving proper credit that was overlooked at the time they were presented.

Throughout the history of the United States, racism and segregation were motivating factors for not properly recognizing worthy people for the merits they deserved. During the month of February, we pay tribute to historic contributions made by African Americans.
