Sarah's Story

On March 14, 1900, Sarah Commodore appeared at the federal pension office in Baltimore and was interviewed by a special examiner regarding her recent application for widow's benefits. Her husband, George William Commodore (right) served as a landsman in the navy from 1864 to 1867. Sarah told the examiner about her marriage and life after his death. Her four-page testimony is preserved in her pension file (with his tintype) at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Here is the transcript of her statement. The original is one long paragraph. I divided this transcript into paragraphs, inserting breaks where it appears the special examiner asked a question. The line of questions is based upon a preliminary investigation in 1899 and a review of Commodore's service record.

I am about 65 years of age but cannot state positively. My post office address is 1623 Brunt St. Balt. Md. & a laundress. I am the widow of George W. Commodore who served in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War. I cannot say when he enlisted or was discharged. I think he enlisted early in the war. He served for three years. He enlisted at Baltimore and a few days afterward I visited him in the ship he was on. I think it was called the “Allegheny.” I did not see my husband again until he was stationed at the Washington Navy Yard & I then visited him often. He was not then on a vessel but was a cook on shore in the Navy Yard.

The picture that I now show you was taken at Washington, I think, while he was there in the Navy Yard. I know that he sent it from there to me & I have kept it ever since.

The enlistment I have stated was the only time he was in the Navy & he was never in the Army or in any other service. I am sure he enlisted under his own name which was George William Commodore.

My husband died in April and I think 15 years ago. A society he belonged to gave me a lot at the time of his death & my husband is buried in that lot. I show you the deed. (She owns that lot 385. B. Sharp St. Cemetery, Balt. Was deeded by the Trustees of said Cemetery to Sarah Commodore on Apl. 23, 1885. The deed is signed by the Pres. & Sec. with seal embossed. M.A.W. Spl. Ex.).

I was married several years before the war but cannot give the date or even approximate. I had a certificate but lost it years ago & failed to have it renewed. I was married to sailor Geo. W. Commodore by Rev. Savage Hammond a minister of the A.M.E. Church, & was pastor of the Bethel Church Baltimore. I was married at the house of a cousin of mine, Mrs. Susan Golden who lived on Little Monument St. bet. St. Mary and Orchard St. Mrs. Golden is dead. Georgiana Jefferson was my bridesmaid. She is now Georgiana Clayton & is still living. Mrs. Harris was also present when I was married and she is now dead. Rev. Hammond died years ago, either during the war or soon afterward, in Baltimore. I do not recall any one except Mrs. Clayton who was present when I was married & who are now living.

My maiden name was Sarah Jones. Both my husband & myself were raised in Baltimore and both were freeborn. We were boy & girl together & I had known my husband for six or more years before we were married. He was about 3 years older than I was. I have not remarried since my husbands death but am still his legal widow. Neither my husband nor myself have been married before our marriage to each other. We were never separated but lived together for about 40 years & he was with me & I nursed him during his last illness & until his death.

We then lived on St. Mary St., had half a house with a man named Pearce & my husband died there of heart disease. We had 7 children but all are dead. The last child died about 7 years since. But one was living when my husband died & she was married at that time.

I do not know my husbands age when he enlisted. Cannot say whether he was 39 or 40 or what, but my oldest living child was about 8 years old when her father enlisted & she was my fifth child then being 4 children older but who were dead at that time.

My husband had no marks or scars of any kind that I remember. My husband never had small pox since I first new him. He has said that when young he had small pox but he had no marks of such so far as I ever saw or knew of.

He was a dragman when he enlisted. He was short in height, not very stout, was dark in complexion, hair & eyes. He wore his mustache as shown in likeness when he went away to enlist, if I recollect correctly. My husband was at the Washington Navy Yard most of his time. I think he only served on vessels for a few months not a year altogether.

So far as I know or heard my husband had good health while in the service. Never knew or heard of him being sick at any time until after the war, when he first had trouble with his heart.

Soon after my husband left the Navy he bought a little piece of land across the river from Washington, in Maryland, & his mother & sister went there to live. We never received any benefit from it and after his mother & sister died I do not know what became of it. We never attended to it or paid taxes on it & never visited it. After my husband died I just let it be as before & have never paid taxes on it. I can’t say what it cost but my recollection is that my husband paid about $80.00 for it. He did not own any other property. He had no life insurance. He belonged to the Odd Fellows & they buried him & gave me the lot. I have never received any other benefits from any society or in any way, and have never had any income of any kind except from my own labor.

My daughter could not help me for she had to work for her children, for her husband did not help her. After her death I have had to take care of my daughters children, & I have them still with me. The two eldest help me a little & the two youngest are at school. The eldest is nearly 19.

After my husbands death I went out to service, first with Mr. Arthur Palmer with whom I worked 11 months. I then went to Bishop Paret & served there 4 years. Then my daughter died & I had to take care of her children, so rented two rooms & have had them with me ever since supporting myself & them, by washing & other work that I can get to do.

My husband did not apply for a pension during his life time. He had good health & so have I & we get along comfortably so did not think we were entitled. He was only sick about a year before he died. After his death I did not apply for a pension because I had lost my marriage certificate & my husbands discharge. Lately I was told by a friend that I could get a pension under another law, & would not need the papers I had lost, so I put in a application as I was greatly in need of help & was getting old. I do not know who I can furnish to prove that my husband or myself were not married before our marriage, except Mrs. Clayton. I know that Richard Owens and Maria Johnson both knew me when I was young and since but I don’t know where they live. Sarah Chambers also knew me.

I will be present here if I can when my witnesses are examined by my attorney. Mr. A. Parleff Lloyd is prosecuting my claim. I have made no arrangement with him as to fee, and have never paid him any fees. My statement has been read to me, I have understood your questions & am correctly recorded.

Witness: N.N. Hill

Sarah (her X mark) Commodore
Deponent

Layton Morris: Missing in Action

Today I received this low-resolution scan of Corp. Layton Morris of the Twenty-fourth U.S. Colored Infantry. It appeared for auction on eBay, date unknown.

The individual who sent it to me is a genealogist who specializes in researching African American descendants. This person does not own the original image, which appears to be a carte de visite inserted into a period photograph album page.

I want to find out who the rightful owner of this image is, and, if he or she would share this photograph with me for my forthcoming book on African American soldiers.

Please contact me if you have any information about this image.

"Commanded by Black Officers"

On April 11, 1864, J.P. Campbell, Baltimore correspondent for The Christian Recorder, a weekly newspaper distributed to black regiments, wrote about the parade of the Thirty-ninth U.S. Colored Infantry through downtown Baltimore. Of special note is the mention of a black captain, George A. Hackett (1806-1870), a prominent local leader and an activist for African American rights. Hackett was not a member of the Thirty-ninth. It appears he had the honor of riding at the head of the regiment as it marched through the city. This account was published on April 16, 1864:

The 39th Regiment U.S.C.T., had a grand parade on last Thursday. The occasion was, that the Rev. A.W. Wayman, had invited them through Col. Bowman, to his church on that day, to hear a sermon preached for their especial benefit. The Colonel consented to this proposition. They came to Bethel Church, and the sermon was preached by Bro. Wayman. It was well received; and, at the conclusion, a resolution was passed, requesting a copy of the original for publication, to be distributed among the soldiers. the day was pleasant, and hundreds of persons were in attendance upon the occasion. Anxious spectators of both sexes were there, and several gentlemen of the clerical order; among whom, we noticed the Rev. S.H. Chase, an out-spoken advocate for the rights of his race. It would have done your soul good, to have seen our colored Captain, George A. Hackett, mounted upon a white charger, dressed in full military costume, commanding this regiment, marching through the streets of Baltimore, after the heart-cheering notes of a new brigade band, and gazed upon by admiring hosts. They marched, not through the back streets, lanes and alleys, but through the main, the fashionable, and the most aristocratic streets of the city. What a wonderful thing, if not a miracle, to see a regiment of colored soldiers, commanded by black officers, marching through the streets of the city of Baltimore, unmolested by slaveholders and their miserable wretched minions; but so it is, and they cannot prevent it.

Progress Report

Yesterday I emailed my editor at The Johns Hopkins University Press an end-of-the-year update on the African American book. To date, I have secured scans of 74 images, and researched and written 15 profiles. I had set a goal of 75 images and 10 profiles, and so am pleased with my progress.

This year's goal is to locate 21 more images (for a total of 95) and write 45 more profiles. This will be a challenge, and I am cautiously optimistic.

Also mentioned in my email: "Looking ahead, 2012 marks the 150th anniversary of the first organized black regiments, and 2013 the 150th of the U.S. War Department making the organization of black troops official. The publication of the book with these dates in mind may be advantageous."

Time to get to work!

Lincoln Looks to Johnson for a Champion

While researching the origins of the Corps d'Afrique, I came across this private letter written by President Abraham Lincoln to then Sen. Andrew Johnson of Tennessee. Lincoln's hope for a quick end to the war by raising regiments of black troops, and his desire to find prominent white leaders to make it happen, is evidenced by its contents:

Executive Mansion
Washington, March 26, 1863

Hon. Andrew Johnson:

My Dear Sir: I am told you have at least thought of raising a negro military force. In my opinion the country now needs no specific thing so much as some man of your ability and position to go to this work. When I speak of your position, I mean that of an eminent citizen of a slave State, and himself a slave-holder. The colored population is the great available, and yet unavailed of, force for restoring the Union. The bare sight of 50,000 armed and drilled black soldiers upon the banks of the Mississippi would end the rebellion at once. And who doubts that we can present that sight if we but take hold in earnest? If you have been thinking of it, please do not dismiss the thought.

Yours, very truly,
A. Lincoln

From The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series III, Volume III, p. 103.

On a Rant About Time Off and Pay

Like many Americans throughout history, the Civil War soldier had his frustrations with government. Leroy D. House was no exception. A clockmaker from Bristol, Conn., House served as a captain in the 108th U.S. Colored Infantry. On duty guarding Confederate prisoners at Rock Island, Ill., during the holidays, he made the best of life far away from the front lines in sub-zero temperatures — but couldn't resist venting in this excerpt from a letter penned on Dec. 24, 1864, to friends at home in Connecticut:

"Congress has adjourned over the holidays, and the members have gone home to receive their Christmas & New Years Presents. They ought to give the army power to adjourn over the Holidays and let the soldier go home. But we do not expect the same privileges as citizens. A member of Congress when he thinks his pay is insufficient can vote himself more, while the soldiers must wait with patience for Congress to do him justice. We expect an increase of pay before Congress adjourns in the spring. We view it as an act of justice, but if the powers that be do not see fit to do it, we shall not find fault with Uncle Sam, but try to bring our expenses within our means. Nearly all Civil officers of the government as well as all clerks and Provost Marshals have had their pay raised since the commencement of the present war, while the officers in active service receive no more to day than he did four years ago when all of the necessaries of life cost but little more than one third the present price."

This letter is part of the collection of the Connecticut Historical Society.

A Memorial and Visitor Center for New Market Heights

Received an email from my friend and former co-worker Lauren Burke, who has been involved in an effort to secure funds for a memorial and visitor center on the battlefield of New Market Heights, where, in 1864, an assault on the Confederate entrenchments by U.S. Colored Troops earned fourteen African American infantrymen the Medal of Honor. Lauren has teamed up with a friend, who works for U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott. Rep. Scott, who represents Virginia's Third District, has this item listed in his FY2010 Appropriations request list:

Henrico County, Virginia
P. O. Box 90775
Henrico, VA 23273-0775

$10,000,000 - New Market Heights Memorial & Visitors Center - The Battle of New Market Heights fought on September 29, 1864, remains among the lesser known engagements of the Civil War. Its significance, in American military history and African-American history deserves recognition. 14 Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded to African-American-American soldiers who fought in the Battle of New Market Heights. The funds will be used for land acquisition, site preparation and toward construction of a memorial and visitor’s center at New Market Heights, adjacent to the Richmond National Battlefield Park in Henrico County, Virginia.

Lauren, a Washington, D.C.-based photographer, is collecting images of the fourteen men who received the Medal of Honor. Check out her Flickr photostream on the subject. She is looking for photos of these four men:

Alfred B. Hilton
Sergeant, Company H, 4th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date. At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at:------. Birth: Harford County, Md. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: When the regimental color bearer fell, this soldier seized the color and carried it forward, together with the national standard, until disabled at the enemy's inner line.

Miles James
Corporal, Company B, 36th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 30 September 1864. Entered service at: Norfolk, Va. Birth: Princess Anne County, Va. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Having had his arm mutilated, making immediate amputation necessary, he loaded and discharged his piece with one hand and urged his men forward; this within 30 yards of the enemy's works.

Charles Veale
Private, Company D, 4th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Portsmouth, Va. Birth: Portsmouth Va. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Seized the national colors after 2 color bearers had been shot down close to the enemy's works, and bore them through the remainder of the battle.

Edward Ratcliff
First Sergeant, Company C, 38th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: ------. Birth: James County, Va. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation. Commanded and gallantly led his company after the commanding officer had been killed; was the first enlisted man to enter the enemy's works.

Transformation

Ulysses S. Grant's transformation between 1861 and 1869 from an alcoholic ex-soldier and failed farmer to lieutenant general and commander of all the Union armies and President of the United States is the classic rags to riches American success story. And one that captivated me in my youth and inspires me today.

Grant's whirlwind adventure ends on a positive note. Even after his post-presidency years were tarnished when a swindler bilked him out of his savings and terminal cancer consumed his life, he mustered his last remaining resources to write his memoirs, which, with the help of Mark Twain, became an international bestseller that provided his family with financial support after his death.

Now I am discovering other stories of transformation that rivaled Grant's for their rapid and steep ascent to glory. But these stories end tragically.

Take William Wright, an African American born a slave in Kentucky and the current subject of my research. During a three year period, from 1864 to 1870, his life forever changed when he became a Union soldier and free man, then a farmer living for the first time in control of his own affairs and having the ability to pursue his dreams.

There are few instances in history where hope radiated with such brightness and warmth over humanity than in America during this time. The collapse and fall of the Confederacy and the end of a bloody Civil War. The freedom of an enslaved race of people. Three amendments to the Constitution establishing equality for all. During this brief period along our nation's timeline, hope seemed eternal. The dawn of a new age lay before us.

And yet the hope that burned so brightly dimmed quickly as Reconstruction failed. Civil rights were trampled and within a short time African Americans found themselves in a new slavery fueled by racism. And it would last for more than a century, until a new civil rights movements in the 1960s would rekindle the almost extinguished flame of hope.

William Wright would never see the flame rekindled. Driven from his farm in 1871 by what he called "Night Riders," he and his family fled to Iowa, where he lived a modest life as a farmer in a quiet corner of the country. He died in 1901.

Setting Deadlines

One word to describe the first nine months of this book project is discovery: Locating images, securing rights and permissions, searching for primary sources, finding resources, reading articles and books on the African American war experience, sorting lists and databases. In short, getting started on the manuscript journey, traveling down unfamiliar paths, finding some dead ends, but other paths that lead to other paths and roadways.

I have a long way to go yet. However, the roads are starting to feel familiar. For the first time since last year, I have a sense of how long it will take to get there. My estimates:

By the end of 2009
75 images secured
10 profiles researched and written

By the end of 2010
95 images secured
60 profiles researched and written

By June 2011
Manuscript complete

Fall 2012
Book published

It will be interesting to find out how accurate my estimates compare to reality. Time will tell. This may seem like a fruitless exercise to some, but it helps me to know that a plan of sorts is formed.

Seeking the Story Behind an Iconic Image

The Chicago Historical Society possesses one of the finest collections of African American soldier photographs that I've ever seen. Of these twenty-seven terrific tintypes, one is identified: Sgt. James L. Baldwin of the Fifty-sixth U.S. Colored Infantry. His iconic image, shown here, has appeared in numerous publications.

All the published examples of Baldwin's likeness I've found include the briefest of captions. It is for this reason that he will be included in my book. I want to tell his story. I started researching his life and military service yesterday and found that he started the war with the Third Arkansas Infantry (African Descent). Government authorities later designated the regiment as the Fifty-sixth. Baldwin applied for a disability pension in 1889.

I look forward to learning more about him, and providing a fresh take on this image by providing details of his war service. If you have any information to share, please comment.

More on the Nimrod Burke Image

The image tentatively identified as Nimrod Burke has appeared on the cover of one book and a PBS program according to Tim Kernan, who currently owns the tintype. In both instances, it is listed as an unidentified soldier. The photo may have also appeared in other publications. How the identity of the image came to be lost and found again is a developing story. My working scenario, based upon interviews by telephone and email with Burke ancestor Henry Robert Burke, Peggie and Tim Kernan, members of the Washington County (Ohio) Historical Society and others:

A member of the Burke family who did not appreciate the sentimental and historical value of the photograph sold the original tintype as many as twenty-five years ago to an unknown person or persons. At the time of this transaction, the identity was lost. At some point the family received a photograph of the original tintype. This copy print was made with a non-digital camera not from the original, but from a reproduction printed in some publication, perhaps a book. The family has come to think of this copy print as the original photo of Nimrod Burke. This copy print has since been scanned and uploaded to Henry Robert Burke's web site.

The tintype was sold at some point to noted collector Herb Peck Jr., a Nashville, Tenn., photographer who worked in Vanderbilt University's Department of Fine Arts. This was one of Peck's first purchases in the early 1980s after his original collection was stolen. A year or two before his passing in 2004, he sold it to Tim Kernan.

This scenario is subject to revision as more information is obtained.

Also unresolved is a uniform issue: Burke is listed as having served as a sergeant during his enlistment. The soldier pictured here wears a corporal's chevrons. I'll be checking Burke's military service records at the National Archives to determine if he ranked as a corporal and sergeant.

Big Day at Gettysburg Show

Today I attended the Gettysburg Show with Anne. We left early to make the ten o'clock opening, armed with business cards, books and my trusty laptop computer and scanner. Turned out to be a great day of progress for the African American soldier book.

Thanks to Ronn Palm and Paul Rusinoff, I had the opportunity to meet Tim Kernan, who generously allowed me to scan a pair of spectacular quarter-plate tintypes of brothers who served in the First Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry (African Descent), later designated as the Sixtieth U.S. Colored Troops. I look forward to learning about them, and am happy to make the acquaintance of Tim, a good guy who shares my interest in making these stories available to a wide audience.

The third image comes from the holdings of dealer and historian Henry Deeks, who inspired me to research and write about Civil War soldiers. The carte de visite of Lewis A. Fuller, reproduced here, is the first identified African American soldier in my collection.

Anne and I left the show with three new additions for the book and celebrated with a lunch at Dino's. Definitely a day to remember.

Searching for Images for Next Volume

It has been more than a month since I received the issue of the Civil War News with the story about the Twenty-ninth Connecticut Colored Infantry, illustrated with a wonderful carte de visite of two sergeants from the regiment. The image motivated me to get serious about beginning the search for identified, wartime cartes of those who served in the U.S.C.T. Researching and writing about the African-American war experience is a natural next volume in this series.

Last week, I officially began by making contact with Harrison Mero of the Twenty-ninth descendant’s group. He was extremely helpful, offering to provide me with details about the two soldiers, and put out the word that I am looking for photographs. He also directed me to Yale University’s Beinecke Library, which owns the carte.

I am on the track of a few more images. Seventy-seven are required (to be consistent with Union and Confederate Faces).

If you can help, please contact me! My criteria is identified, wartime cartes de visite of African-American soldiers.