Veterans Day is a time to reflect upon the sacrifices made by those who’ve served. Consider William Skillen’s story. Skillen had been a sergeant in the 20th Ohio Infantry, but was promoted to first lieutenant in the 9th Louisiana Infantry, more »
According to the National Park Service’s Soldiers and Sailors System, there were twenty enlisted men named George Washington in the 5th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. These all would have been black men, the vast majority, former slaves. The 5th U.S. more »
Researching early regiments of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) can sometimes be difficult. Unit names may have changed several times throughout their service. The earliest regiments, organized between the fall of 1862 and the creation of the Bureau of Colored more »
Many men from Illinois had a hand in the Milliken’s Bend story, and this seems like a timely subject, in anticipation of the upcoming Decatur Civil War Symposium. In April 1863, Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas traveled along the Mississippi River, more »
Elisha DeWitt’s heart must have swelled with patriotism. In August 1861, just eighteen years old, he signed on with the 7th Missouri Infantry (U.S.) at Rolla. Enlisting early in the war when the eagerness of youth and lofty patriotic ideals more »