Hamilton County History David Heighway
Hamilton County and the USCT 28th USCT in Indianapolis on December 24, 1863—the day that enlistment opened. His experiences during the war were significant. He was probably at the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864. He was wounded at the Battle of Hatcher’s Run on October 24, 1864. He probably marched with the first troops into Richmond on April 4, 1865, and possibly saw the first Juneteenth Day on June 19, 1865. He is listed on the national African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. He has been completely forgotten in Hamilton County except by his relatives at Roberts Settlement, where he is buried.
here are eleven names of African American soldiers carved onto the Civil War monument at Crownland Cemetery. While it was nice that they were recognized, this is actually very inadequate. It is a random collection of eleven names out of the fortysix known men who served, and some of the names are misspelled. Recently, the first comprehensive list of Hamilton County African American soldiers from the Civil War was created by Lezli Davis and myself, and it is now possible to recognize the service of all of these men.
Passing for White
Three of the Hamilton County men in the 28th were wounded at the Battle of the Crater—Corporal Thomas Lawrence, Private Solomon Dawson, and Private Leonard Carter. Carter was so severely wounded that he was discharged and sent home. He died soon after he returned and was buried at Riverside Cemetery, but, because of a bureaucratic error, he did not receive a grave marker until 1939.
Juneteenth Day is a unique and important day to recognize African Americans and their role in US history. Its roots lie in the celebrations that occurred in Texas when General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 on June 19th, 1865, which announced the proclamation that had ended slavery in the rebelling states. The troops of the 25th Corps were sent to guard the border in Texas after the end of the war. They were supposed to land at Brazos Santiago, but were not able to. Instead, they went to Galveston harbor on June 18th for the ships to take on coal and fresh water.
Gooding T. Newsom, (1837-1895) had notable service. He joined up with the
A reporter for the New York Tribune sent a message to the paper dated
United States Colored Troops Most of the men were in the 28th United States Colored Troops, which was organized in Indiana in early 1864. The regiment saw serious action, including the Siege of Petersburg, which ran from June 1864 to April 1865. They were at the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864, where nearly half the men were killed or wounded. The regiment was absorbed into the 25th Corps, formed in December 1864 under Major General Godfrey Weitzel, which was made up solely of African American soldiers. They were at the surrender of Richmond and were one of the regiments who marched into the city on April 4, 1865. 18
February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine
