This Black regiment fought at Fort Fisher and protected Washington, D.C. A new sign at a fort in Arlington will remember the 107th UCT's campaign for equality

107th USCT troops at Fort Corcoran in Northern Virginia (Library of Congress)
and John McNair of Arlington parks and Drew Gruber of Civil War Trails with sign at Fort Ethan Allen

National Park Service ranger Steve T. Phan likes to refer to the 68 enclosed fortifications that defended Washington, D.C., during the Civil War as “Freedom’s Forts.”

Thousands of enslaved people attempted to self-emancipate at U.S.  Army lines around the capital and the forts and Union soldiers were often their first contact.

“African-Americans labored in army camps and at the forts, and perhaps fitting, were later stationed in the defenses as USCT soldiers,” Phan told the Picket. “The soldiers not only helped secure the capital, they participated in the destruction of slavery and the restoration of the Union.”

Phan, chief of interpretation at Camp Nelson National Monument in Kentucky, served from 2017-2021 with the NPS’ unit telling the story of the Civil War Defenses of Washington. His expertise was called upon for a new marker remembering the service of a USCT regiment at Fort Ethan Allen, now a park in Arlington, Va.

Arlington’s parks and recreation team and community leaders on Thursday morning – a day after Juneteenth -- will unveil a Civil War Trails sign at the park remembering the 107th U.S. Colored Troops, one of at least three African-American regiments that helped man the 68 forts.

The regiment, which was organized in Louisville, Ky., in spring 1864, took part in fighting in North Carolina, including the assault on Fort Fisher. It later sent two companies (C and H), about 200 men, to Fort Ethan Allen, one of the strongest and heavily armed of the DC sites, in October 1865, while other troops were stationed nearby

They drilled and manned Fort Ethan Allen’s ramparts in case trouble ever began. While the war had been over in the region for several months, Phan said the Army kept about 20 forts open into 1866. “A lot of the USCT had to fulfill their three years of service,” having enlisted in 1863 and 1864. (At left, Sgt. Maj. Charles Singer of Company A, 10th USCT, NPS photo)

“Congress did not want to pay for the maintenance and garrisoning. The chief engineer made the point, ‘Remember where we were at in 1861, when there was no defense of the capital, and we had to rush to build these forts,’” says Phan.

The forts were such a powerful deterrent against the Confederacy that just a few saw action, and only for a couple days in July 1864. Rebel units nearing the capital put the city into panic, but their foray ended when they were rebuffed at Fort Stevens in Maryland.

Fort Ethan Allen, near Key Bridge, was not among the outposts that opened artillery fire on Confederates approaching Fort Stevens.

Earthwork remnants in nearby 19-acre Fort C.F. Smith Park are considered the best preserved of the 22 Arlington-area forts. While most traces are gone, the ruins of the lunette fort include a bomb proof, the fort well, the north magazine and 11 of the 22 gun emplacements.

The forts on the Arlington Line, plus Ethan Allen, were built to complement each other. “One fort doesn’t need to protect everything. It can rely on other forts,” said John McNair, historian for Fort C.F. Smith Park. McNair led the two-effort to put the new marker at Fort Ethan Allen Park.

Fort Ethan Allen (top left) and other Civil War forts near the Potomac (Library of Congress)

That’s why most of the guns in the lunette at C.F. Smith are trained to the northwest, to cover the gap between it and Ethan Allen, instead of to the south, where Confederates attackers would likely emerge. Fort Strong took care of that sector, McNair told the Picket in 2018.

By autumn 1865, the defeated Confederate army was gone. But that did not mean the 107^th USCT companies at Fort Ethan Allen relaxed.

They protected government property and ordnance that was to be sold to pay off the war debt.

Many white Virginians, ardent secessionists and pro-slavery citizens in Maryland were likely hostile to the troops, said Phan (right).

For the soldiers in the 107^th – along with the 4^th USCT and 28^th USCT – deployment in and around Washington must have been especially poignant.

“The majority of these men are enslaved and they are going to end their war service in the view of the Capitol. That is pretty incredible,” said Phan.

Black troops were fighting for the rights of citizenship after many had freed themselves by leaving the South. “They want to be able to move, to purchase property, to marry who they want. They want to vote.”

Seven months before war’s end, Sgt. Maj. Charles Singer of the 107^th wrote a letter published in The Christian Monitor about his motivation. Singer was born free, a rarity among USCT soldiers.

Pvt. Creed Miller, a former slave, fought with Company E of the 107th UST.
He died of disease in 1866 (National Museum of African American History and Culture)

“I wish for nothing but to breathe … the air of liberty…. I have no ambition, unless it to be to break the chain and exclaim: ‘Freedom to all!” Singer wrote. “I never will be satisfied so long as the meanest slave in the South has a link of chain clinging to his leg.”

Phan emphasized that freedom doesn’t ensure equality.

About 23,000 Black troops enlisted in Kentucky and those who returned to the state after the Civil War endured stiff discrimination and the codification of Jim Crow laws. Kentucky, a Southern border state during the conflict, did not officially ratify the 13^th Amendment – which abolished slavery – until 1876.

Remaining earthworks at Fort Ethan Allen Park (Farragutful, Wikipedia)

USCT veterans formed communities across the state while others joined the Army and became the first Buffalo Soldiers, serving for another 20 years.

“It is a practical way to take care of themselves and their families,” said Phan.

Others moved to Ohio or other Midwestern states. About 5,000 Kentuckians went to Kansas, many joining the Black colony in Nicodemus in the 1870s.

In a news release about the sign, Rita McClenny, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, said the park offers travelers an opportunity to stand in the footsteps of warriors.

Plan for Fort Ethan Allen in Virginia, near Key Bridge (Library of Congress)

"These men did not sit idly by as the war progressed and this new sign commemorates those who fearlessly fought for emancipation and equality,” she said.

NPS ranger Bryan Cheeseboro, an expert on the African-American troops in the war and a speaker at the event, has said USCT troops were stationed at Fort Runyon. At least 20 members of the 45th USCT are buried at Arlington National Cemetery, he said.

The Picket has reached out to Arlington County’s John McNair for comment.

The Civil War Trails sign unveiling will take place at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Fort Ethan Allen Park, 3829 N. Stafford St., Arlington, Va. Call 703-228-1865 for more information on the unveiling.

Black luminaries among potential new names for military bases

African Americans from Virginia honored for their Civil War service to the Union are among 87 potential new names for nine federal military posts that now honor Confederates, including three in Virginia -- Fort Lee, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Pickett. A federal commission recently said that it has reduced 34,000 submissions to 87 potential names.

Among them are Virginia-born William Carney, the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor, Powhatan Beaty (left), who received a similar honor for service at Chaffin’s Farm, and surgeon Alexander T. Augusta. -- Article

Learn more about those who served in USCT during the Civil War

A free virtual presentation about Kansans who served in the US Colored Troops will be given at 3 p.m. CT Sunday, Nov. 22, by historian Wendi Bevitt. -- Details

Saving the Adam Strain: Crews take first step in shoring up building that survived Darien's burning during the Civil War

Phase one focuses on clearing the interior (Courtesy of Marion Savic)

In the port town of Darien, Ga., the Adam Strain building – which survived a fire set by Union troops during the Civil War – has withstood hurricanes and tropical storms for more than two centuries. It will feel the effects of yet another storm system through Monday.

As I write this post, Tropical Storm Isaias is churning northward off the Florida coast,.making its way toward Georgia before making a run for the Carolinas and beyond.

But for all it has withstood, the Strain is fragile these days, and its new owners know they must first stabilize and repair the tabby walls before the landmark building eventually finds new life: Milan and Marion Savic are thinking of putting a nano brewery on the first floor, with retail in the front and event space or class areas on the second floor.

“Hopefully, we can get some beams and a support system in the next month or two,” said Marion Savic, a Marietta, Ga., businesswoman, a few days after the restoration of the Strain formally began.

The Picket wrote in April about efforts to save the 1813-1815 building after decades of deterioration. At one point in a long campaign to save the Strain, it appeared the beloved piece of history might be demolished. Made of oyster shell tabby and stucco, the oldest structure in Darien is beloved by 2,000 residents who were thrilled the Strain was saved when the Savics made the purchase.

The Strain has been filled with shoes, antiques and a lot more (Marion Savic)

During the Civil War, the Strain -- which sits on an upper bluff -- was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast.

Darien held little strategic value to the Union, but Col. James Montgomery, commanding the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, supposedly believed it was a safe haven for blockade runners. Montgomery, who was a notable abolitionist, ordered Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the famed 54^th  Massachusetts Infantry to participate in the town’s burning in 1863.

The Strain, which was burned in the fire but remained standing, was repaired and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II and then shuttered. 

Last week, cleanup of the interior, which is packed with old shoes, antiques, papers and other items, began. Marion Savic said the plan is for crews to bring in dirt to fill spaces at the foundation and then begin supporting the walls with steel rods and braces.

The stabilization process is expected to take three to six months.

View of waterfront (Landmark Preservation)

“We have started,” she told the Picket last week. “Everybody is very excited to get it restored.”

One of the walls is particularly weak and experts are installing digital monitors to monitor the integrity of the walls during the shoring-up and subsequent work. Any significant movement in the walls will set off an alarm alerting everyone to get out of the building.

“Any time you work with old buildings, you have to be prepared for anything happening,” said Marion Savic.

For example, part of a wall could fall when crews try to straighten it. One of the contractors is a tabby expert and will help with any repairs, she said.

The Strains put a new wood framing inside the building after the Civil War. It currently supports the existing second floor and is independent of the tabby.

Savic maintains a Facebook page on the revitalization of the Strain. She recently posted a photo of wooden planks that cover the original tabby walls. “Looking forward to getting the wood off and seeing the tabby and whatever else is hidden there.”

The building interior will have the appearance of its immediate post-Civil War days. The Savics haven’t yet decided whether wood will cover the tabby. Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells and was popular in the region in the decades leading up to the Civil War. Stucco is placed on the exterior to protect it from water damage.

Adjoining the Strain is a one-story annex that once housed a bank and law offices.

The Savics plan to establish there a small maritime museum that will convey the Strain’s and Darien’s history -- including shrimping, timber and the story of thousands of enslaved people who were the backbone of the economy in McIntosh and neighboring counties.

Wooden planks are currently covering tabby (Marion Savic)

Kit Stebbins Sutherland, who grew up in Darien and is a retired historic preservation planning consultant living in Atlanta, told the Picket she hopes to provide the Savics with photos, stories and other information that can help with interpretation.

“I will strongly encourage them to touch upon the long history of Broad Street and the Darien waterfront, as well as aspects of Gullah-Geechee culture and history.”

Missy Brandt Wilson, a Darien native and former chairman of the McIntosh County Historic Preservation Commission, told the Picket she is feels “like a miracle is happening” with the planned restoration of the Strain.

“I also hope it will demonstrate to Darien and McIntosh County they should preserve their vast cultural and historical resources, and be good stewards of them,” she said.

Research shows 51 more USCT troops

When Lexington, Kentucky, began Juneteenth celebrations at African Cemetery No. 2 in 1999, the gathering honored 49 black Civil War veterans whose gravestones were found during a restoration. Saturday, the cemetery will honor 100 men who fought with the United States Colored Troops. Yvonne Giles’ research has found more than 51 additional names, and it has revealed some fascinating stories. • Article

Observance to recall grim Mo. skirmish

Efforts to create a living history site where a black Union infantry unit was ambushed by Confederate guerrillas during the Civil War will be marked by an observance in Joplin, Mo., on Saturday. The event will focus on site improvements, such as a plaque that tells the story of the site, and a split-rail fence that has been finished around the property. • Article

Missouri marker honors U.S. Colored Troops

A monument near the back of Columbia (Mo.) Cemetery, where black people were buried when the graveyard was segregated, is the city’s newest memorial to veterans. It lists the names of 42 men who served in the U.S. Colored Troops, formed to employ former slaves to defeat the Confederacy. The stone includes every black soldier whose burial can be verified. • Article

Remembering training post for black troops

This weekend's Civil War Days in Jessamine County, Kentucky, will mark the 150th anniversary of the creation of Camp Nelson, a Union recruiting center for black troops. The camp was established in June 1863. As many as 10,000 black troops trained there. Eight regiments of U.S. Colored Troops, as the regiments were called, were founded at Camp Nelson, and five others were stationed there. • Article

City honors U.S. Colored Troops

Hundreds of African-American Union soldiers buried in the National Cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina, after the Civil War were honored Thursday with a state highway historical marker. • Article | • Previous coverage

First California troops from back East

Nearly 17,000 Californians fought for the Union Army, but the members of California’s first regiment weren’t from California. The regiment had to be raised on the East Coast. • Article

Recognizing black doctors and nurses

Before Rosa Parks stood up against discrimination by refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus, Maj. Alexander T. Augusta took a similar stand in Washington, D.C. Augusta, one of 13 black surgeons to serve during the Civil War, was in uniform and on his way to testify at a court martial when he was removed from a street car for refusing to stand up front with the driver, forcing him to walk to the hearing in the rain. • Article

Andrew Young on soldiers paying the price

Former UN Ambassador Andrew Young on Wednesday paid tribute to African-Americans whose service to their country goes back to the American Revolution.

Young was the keynote speaker at the dedication at Fort Hill School in Dalton, Ga., of a sign honoring the service of the 44th U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War.

I'm indebted to Charlie Crawford, head of the Georgia Battlefields Association, for this account and photos. The GBA helped fund the sign and assisted in its writing.

A clear autumn morning in North Georgia's rolling hills saw at least 200 in attendance. A children's chorus sang "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

According to Crawford, "Young spoke without notes and with great feeling. He went back to Crispus Attucks and black troops in the Revolutionary War, then spent some time on Andrew Jackson assembling an army in New Orleans and granting black volunteers land in western Louisiana as a reward.

"Young, who is from New Orleans, said this made quite an impression on his family and explains why he is named Andrew Jackson Young, a name that has recurred in his family over the generations. He spoke of how soldiers pay the price for diplomats' failures and how Americans' willingness to fight for the nation is stronger than any ethnic, cultural, or racial differences."

• Related Picket article on the 44th

Re-enactors keep memory of black troops

The role of black Civil War troops in gaining the freedom of black Americans was pushed to a distant corner of the national memory for decades. But the story is one that scattered groups of black re-enactors are dedicated to retelling as the 150th anniversary of the war approaches. The story of the black troops is "really the only new story of the Civil War. Other stories have been presented but this one has been suppressed for so long," said Hari Jones of the African-American Civil War Memorial and Museum. • Article

Recalling sorrowful incident at Ebenezer Creek

Dec. 9, 1864 - a mere 12 days before Gen. William T. Sherman's Union troops captured Savannah - was commemorated Tuesday by the Georgia Historical Society as officials dedicated a new historical marker about a mile south of the site where they believe hundreds of fugitive slaves drowned after the bridge Union troops used to cross the creek was destroyed. • Article