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Stephen Atkins Swails
Stephen Atkins Swails (23 February 1832 – 17 May 1900) was a soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although originally enlisting as a private, he was the first African-American soldier promoted to commissioned rank, as a line officer, in that conflict, as evidenced by the U.S. War Department's initial refusal of that promotion due to his "African descent."Emilio 1995, p. 194. Swails was a free black who was so light in coloring that he was often mistaken as white.Emilio 1995, p. 194. He was single and employed mostly as a waiter in Cooperstown, New York at the start of the Civil War, and although he fathered several children by Sarah Thompson, they never married.AAHI 2010. His enlistment papers state he was employed as a boatman in Elmira, New York when he joined the army.Emilio 1995, p. 336. In 1863, he answered Frederick Douglass' call to arms and joined the 54th Massachusetts when it began forming, and served in that regiment, eventually being commission ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Columbia, Pennsylvania
Columbia, formerly Wright's Ferry, is a borough (town) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 10,222. It is southeast of Harrisburg, on the east (left) bank of the Susquehanna River, across from Wrightsville and York County and just south of U.S. Route 30. The settlement was founded in 1726 by Colonial English Quakers from Chester County, led by entrepreneur and evangelist John Wright. Establishment of the eponymous Wright's Ferry, the first commercial Susquehanna crossing in the region, inflamed territorial conflict with neighboring Maryland but brought growth and prosperity to the small town, which was just a few votes shy of becoming the new United States' capital. Though besieged for a short while by Civil War destruction, Columbia remained a lively center of transport and industry throughout the 19th century, and was once the terminus of the Pennsylvania Canal. Later, however, the Great Depression and 20th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment, organized in the Northern states during the Civil War. Authorized by the Emancipation Proclamation, the regiment consisted of African-American enlisted men commanded by white officers. The 54th Massachusetts was a major force in the pioneering of African American civil war regiments, with 150 all-black regiments being raised after the raising of the 54th Massachusetts. The unit began recruiting in February 1863 and trained at Camp Meigs on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts. Prominent abolitionists were active in recruitment efforts, including Frederick Douglass, whose two sons were among the first to enlist. Massachusetts Governor John Albion Andrew, who had long pressured the U.S. Department of War to begin recruiting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Department Of The South
The Department of the South was a military department of the United States Army that existed in several iterations in the 19th century during and after the American Civil War. 1862–65 After the first 11 months of the American Civil War, starting March 15, 1862, the Department of the South comprised Union Army troops occupying the states of Florida (March 15, 1862 to August 8, 1862 and thereafter only parts of the State of Florida), Georgia, and South Carolina.Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 845. This included troops stationed at Hilton Head and Morris Island in South Carolina, along with Savannah, Georgia and Pensacola, Florida. On August 8, 1862, Florida west of the Apalachicola River was detached to the Department of the Gulf. On March 16, 1863, Key West and the Dry Tortugas were transferred to the Department of the Gulf. Until 1864, the department's command was coterminous with that of the X ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John G
John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Epistle of John, often shortened to 2 John * Third Epistle of John, often shortened to 3 John People * John the Baptist (died ), regarded as a prophet and the forerunner of Jesus Christ * John the Apostle (died ), one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ * John the Evangelist, assigned author of the Fourth Gospel, once identified with the Apostle * John of Patmos, also known as John the Divine or John the Revelator, the author of the Book of Revelation, once identified with the Apostle * John the Presbyter, a figure either identified with or distinguished from the Apostle, the Evangelist and John of Patmos Other people with the given name Religious figures * John, father of Andrew the Apostle and Saint Peter * Pope John ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Gurney
William Gurney (August 21, 1821 – February 2, 1879) was a soldier and statesmen from New York and South Carolina, who distinguished himself in the Civil War and within the craft of Freemasonry. Early life Gurney was born at Flushing, Long Island, in 1821. He was of Quaker extraction. Gurney went to New York City in 1837, and obtained employment as a clerk in the wholesale establishment of A.N. Brown, in Dey street. He became a junior partner of Mr. Brown, and afterward the head of the firm of Gurney & Underhill, which succeeded the old firm. He was one of the originators of the Five Points Mission in New York City. Masonic affiliations Gurney was affiliated with many Masonic lodges including Adelphic and Arcana and in 1853 was one of the founders of Continental Lodge No. 287 Free and Accepted Masons in the state of New York. He was also a member of Adelphi Chapter and Morton Commandery. Military service Gurney always took an active interest in the Militia, and was origina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
War Department (US)
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, also bearing responsibility for naval affairs until the establishment of the Navy Department in 1798, and for most land-based air forces until the creation of the Department of the Air Force on September 18, 1947. The secretary of war, a civilian with such responsibilities as finance and purchases and a minor role in directing military affairs, headed the War Department throughout its existence. The War Department existed for 158 years, from August 7, 1789, to September 18, 1947, when it split into the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force under the National Security Act of 1947, joining the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy to form the National Military Establishment (NME). In 1949, the NME ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morris Island
Morris Island is an 840-acre (3.4 km2) uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat. The island lies in the outer reaches of the harbor and was thus a strategic location in the American Civil War. The island is part of the cities of Charleston, South Carolina, Charleston and Folly Beach, South Carolina, Folly Beach, in Charleston County, South Carolina, Charleston County. History On January 9, 1861, the first shots of the American Civil War were fired from cannons by cadets of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, The Citadel at the ''Star of the West'' as the ship tried to resupply Fort Sumter. Morris Island was heavily fortified to defend Charleston Harbor, with the fortifications centered on Fort Wagner. Battery Gregg was also on the island. Morris Island had heavy fighting during the Union Army's campaign to capture Charleston, South Carolina, Charleston, and is perhaps best known today as the scene of the ill-fated a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Albion Andrew
John Albion Andrew (May 31, 1818 – October 30, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was elected in 1860 as the 25th Governor of Massachusetts, serving between 1861 and 1866, and led the state's contributions to the Union cause during the American Civil War (1861–1865). He was a guiding force behind the creation of some of the first African-American units in the United States Army, including the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. He belonged to the Whig, Free Soil, and Republican parties during his career. Educated at Bowdoin College, Andrew was a radical abolitionist of slavery from an early age, engaged in the legal defense of fugitive slaves against owners seeking their return. He provided legal support to John Brown after his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, raising his profile and propelling him to the Massachusetts governor's chair. Andrew was a persistent voice criticizing President Abraham Lincoln's conduct of the war, and pressing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Truman Seymour
Truman Seymour (September 24, 1824 – October 30, 1891) was a career soldier and an accomplished painter. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of major general. He was present at the Battle of Fort Sumter. He commanded the Union troops at the Battle of Olustee, the only major Civil War battle fought in Florida. Early life and career Seymour was born in Burlington, Vermont. The son of a Methodist minister, he attended Norwich University, beginning in 1840. After spending two years at Norwich, Seymour received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 1846, ranked nineteenth in a class of fifty-nine graduates. West Point's Class of 1846 stands as one of the most illustrious in the academy's storied history with George McClellan, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Jesse Lee Reno, Darius Couch, George Stoneman, Samuel Sturgis, David Rumph Jones, and George Pickett among its members. After gradu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sergeant Major
Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the army's command structure; he also acted as a sort of Chief of staff (military), chief of staff to the army's commander. In the 17th century, sergeant majors appeared in individual regiments. These were field officers, third in command of their regiments (after their colonels and lieutenant colonels), with a role similar to the older, army-level sergeant major (although obviously on a smaller scale). The older position became known as "sergeant major general" to distinguish it. Over time, the term "sergeant" was dropped from both titles, giving rise to the modern ranks of Major (rank), major and major general. The full title of sergeant major fell out of use until the latter part of the 18th century ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward Needles Hallowell
Edward "Ned" Needles Hallowell (November 3, 1836 – July 26, 1871) was an officer in the Union Army in the duration of the American Civil War, commanding the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry following the death of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw at the Second Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863. Early life Edward grew up in a well-to-do Quaker family in Philadelphia. His father Morris was part owner and operator of Hallowell & Company of 33 South Third Street, Philadelphia. The firm predominantly imported and sold silk from India and China. Edward's father was also a passionate abolitionist. The Hallowell family was far more than passive meeting attenders. The family's summer home was employed as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Edward and the other children of Morris and Hannah shared the abolitionist views of their parents. His brother Richard Price Hallowell was one of the members of the "Black Committee"Emilio, Luis F., ''A Brave Black Regiment'' that Governor Andrew of Massach ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
