The genesis of this important event started immediately after the battle when Union general Benjamin Franklin Butler proposed the idea of promoting men like Christian Fleetwood and Powhatan Beaty to officers for their heroic deeds on the field of battle. In spite of the fact that there were a handful of black officers in the Union army already, the War Department demurred and instead decided to issue the Medal of Honor to some of the names that Butler had put forward.
William Barnes, Powhatan Beaty, James Bronson, Christian Fleetwood, James Gardiner, Alfred Hilton, Milton Holland, James Miles, Alexander Kelly, Robert Pinn, Edward Ratcliff, and Charles Veal would all be issued their medals on April 6, 1865.
Look closely at the photograph below. It was taken in April of 1865 at Fort Slocum in Washington DC. If you look at the gentleman fourth from the right you’ll see Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood wearing his newly-issued Medal of Honor.
Thanks for this post. I had not realized that date was an anniversary of that medal. I have special interest in Powhatan Beaty, who, before his time with the USCT, had served in Cincinnati as part of the "Black Brigade" an unofficial group of men who helped defend Cincinnati in September 1862. He lived in Cincinnati, and is buried there.
ReplyDeleteI was happy to see his name in your entry. I wish I had seen it sooner and had realized the importance of April 6th, but at least I have learned it now.
Thanks,
Richard
Thanks Richard, good to hear from you!
ReplyDeleteBeaty is indeed a fascinating character. To be born a slave, move to Cincinnati, earn your freedom, and then join the Union army and win the MOH a few miles from where you were born is quite a story.
And then he became a Shakespearean actor after the war. Can’t make that up!
What a guy...