My blog report on honoring minority Civil War soldiers shows that recognition of Native American and African American soldiers that fought in the U.S. Civil War didn’t happen for over 150 years.
With Memorial Day approaching, I wondered if there were many monuments honoring Native Americans and African Americans that fought in the Civil War. Many minorities felt pressured to fight. Some needed protection, some from a sense of loyalty. They fought and died for the Confederacy or the Union. That did not stop these minority soldiers from discrimination in death.
National Native American Veterans Memorial
In the mid 1800s, U.S. government troops forced Native American tribes living in the southeast to move west to make room for white homesteaders. The concentrated group of tribes became known as Indian Territory. Unfortunately, Civil War battles moved west, sometimes trapping tribes between Confederate and Union forces.
In self-defense, many tribal men joined forces with the Confederacy or the Union. Many hoped that their participation in the fight would lead to better treatment after the war. Unfortunately, the end of the war meant a return to discrimination.
The National Native American Veterans Memorial opened in 2020. It honors veterans from all conflicts. The photos below are from the Smithsonian Institution website:
National Native American Veterans Memorial | National Museum of the American Indian (si.edu)
The photo above shows a close up of one of the four lancers, or metal poles around the stone drum. Each pole has metal feathers attached. Visitors can tie cloth or items to the poles to remember veterans.
Grave of General Ely S. Parker
I could not find any listings of Civil War era Native American graves at Arlington National Cemetery.
The grave of Union General Ely S. Parker, an Iroquois Seneca, is in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York. Parker, trained as a lawyer, worked his way to General Grant’s staff. He wrote the terms of Confederate General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. His original burial took place in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield, Connecticut. Oak Lawn is in Algonquin territory, which was unacceptable to the Seneca. They arranged to move his body to Forest Lawn. His grave is next to his friends and his hero, Seneca Chief Red Jacket.
From findagrave.com- the photo on the left below shows the grave markers of General Parker, some of his friends, and Seneca Chief Red Jacket. The photo on the right is a closer view of General Parker’s grave marker.
Ely Samuel Parker (1828-1895) – Find a Grave Memorial
African American Civil War Soldiers monument
The photos below show the sculpture “Boundless” on the grounds of the Cameron Art Museum. The museum is on the site of the battle of Forks Road. The 1st, 5th and 27th Regiments of the USCT are known to have marched on Federal Point Road to reach Wilmington, North Carolina. Fittingly, the monument is on the only remaining section of Forks Road. The USCT won the battle, leading to Confederates leaving Wilmington. The sculpture was dedicated in 2021. That was over 150 years after the Civil War ended.
Many of the USCT soldiers that fought in the battle lived in the area. The artist that created the sculpture, Stephen Hayes, recruited descendants of some of the soldiers, veterans and local leaders as models. In the photo below on the right, museum curator Daniel Jones stands next to the sculpture to give a size perspective. You can see the names of 1,820 men of the 1st, 5th and 37th Regiments of the USCT displayed on the back of the sculpture behind him.
Boundless – Cameron Art Museum
United States Colored Troops graves at Arlington National Cemetery
James H. Harris (1828-1898) – Find a Grave Memorial
The photo above shows the grave marker of James Harris. He received the Medal of Honor for heroism in battle. Harris is one of only 15 USCT soldiers awarded the MOH. There are hundreds of USCT soldiers and sailors buried at Arlington, some in segregated sections.
African American Civil War Museum and Memorial
The photos below show the sculpture “The Spirit of Freedom,” completed in 1997. The monument honors the soldiers and sailors of the United States Colored Troops. In both photos, you can see a low wall in a half circle around the sculpture, with the names of over 200,000 known USCT troops.
Honoring Minority Civil War Soldiers
In Franklinville, New Jersey, an African American cemetery had been neglected for many years. School bus driver Lisa Money learned about it from a co-worker. The cemetery was hidden by overgrown grass and weeds in the middle of a field. Lisa couldn’t see the grave markers just a few feet away from her. The co-worker didn’t know who to report them to. Turns out that Lisa was a good choice.
Lisa became the volunteer caretaker for the small cemetery. Research revealed that the graves belonged to USCT soldiers from the 22nd regiment and veterans from both World Wars. Her daughter Faith helped to cut the grass, remove tree branches, and pulled weeds each Spring. After several years, the women knew they needed help with the maintenance. Lisa asked the Gloucester County Veterans Advisory Council for support. They agreed to help collect money for an information sign and helped her reach out to the Gloucester County Institute of Technology. About thirty students volunteered as part of a service project.
In 2019, a dedication ceremony gave the cemetery an official title and sign:
Related links:
Buffalo Soldiers Cemetery in Franklinville, New Jersey – Find a Grave Cemetery
Gloucester County students clean up cemetery where Civil War soldiers are buried – 6abc Philadelphia
As part of her volunteer efforts, Lisa created a nonprofit organization:
The Center for Civil War Research
On a related note, the University of Mississippi, affectionately known as “Ole Miss” hosts the Center for Civil War Research through the History department. The center maintains a list of the location of Confederate graves. The U.S. government did not usually support the burial of Confederates in the years immediately after the war. Many Confederate graves are in private or local government cemeteries.
The Center for Civil War Research (olemiss.edu)
About the author – Cultures and Graves
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