Padon Turner was 71 years old in 1910 when he made his statement on behalf of Anderson Shields’ widow, Kate. In doing so, Padon [apparently pronounced like “Peyton”] provided information about his own background. He had been born in Hinds … Continue reading →
Andrew Shields, later known as Anderson Shields, served in the 49th U.S. Colored Infantry – a regiment that began its service as the 11th Louisiana Infantry, African Descent. Just prior to the war, he had married Kate Street, a woman … Continue reading →
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. … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
Special guest post today at National Archives blog, “Rediscovering Black History” about the Chaos of Emancipation in northeast Louisiana, 1863. Much thanks to Tina Ligon and others for making this possible!
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