Civil War Black Union Soldiers

Brighton Richard Harriday (b. circa 1832 - d. circa 1890) Richard Harriday was enslaved on the Leesboro [Wheaton] farm of William L. Bachelor, who had emigrated from England in 1837. On March 22, 1864 Harriday enlisted with the newly-formed 39th Regiment of Maryland Volunteer Infantry. After being mustered into service in Baltimore, he served alongside at least four other Montgomery County soldiers including Samuel Debtor, Bazil Hall, Luke Letcher, and Robert Lincoln. The 39th Regiment participated in battles that included Petersburg, Spotsylvania Court House, and the Crater. Harriday received the final payment for his service on June 30, 1865 from Major Walker, the paymaster. Following the Civil War, Richard Harriday returned to Montgomery County. He lived near Brighton with his wife Rachel and their six children: Emily A. (b. 1856), John E. (b. 1858), Jesse (b. 1859), Mary C. (b.1867), Lorenzo (b. 1868), and Major (b. 1870). By 1880 the Harridays had moved to Washington, D.C. We know Richard Harriday passed away sometime before 1900 because Rachel Harriday appeared in that year's census as a widow.

Brooke Grove Bazil Hall (b. circa 1835 - d. 1924) On March 22, 1864 Bazil Hall enlisted as a private with Company B of the newly-formed 39th Regiment, Maryland Volunteer Infantry. He was one of eight enslaved people on Charlotte Waters's farm south of Goshen. Hall soon transferred from the infantry to the Navy. Earlier that March, the U.S. War Department had issued General Orders asking experienced seamen to consider transferring to the Navy. The circular also stated President Lincoln's goal to have a total of one thousand men transferred to Baltimore's naval station "in the most expeditious manner." On April 17, 1864 Bazil Hall transferred to the Navy, along with fourteen other soldiers from Company B including Robert Lincoln, who had enlisted with the company on the same day as Hall. Despite the War Department's request for experienced sailors, Hall was classified as a landsman, meaning that he had little or no seafaring experience. Bazil Hall's name appears among the 209,145 names listed on the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. His name is listed on plaque C-54 on the Wall of Honor. Following the war, Hall returned to Montgomery County where he worked as a farm laborer. On April 13, 1868 he married seventeen-year-old Julia Ann Riggs and settled near Brooke Grove. The Halls appeared twice in the 1870 Census: first, on Mrs. Eleanor Pugh's farm where Bazil worked as a laborer, and second, at the residence they shared with Julia's mother and siblings. Bazil's parents, James and Maria Hall, lived nearby. James Hall may have been formerly enslaved by William W. Blunt, whose farm stood near Clarksburg. Bazil Hall also had a younger brother, William, who was born around 1849. Bazil and Julia Hall had six daughters: Emily (1868), Mary F. (1869), Eliza (1873), Elizabeth (1874), Elinora (1878), and Gracie B. (1894); and five sons, Ether B. (1887), James H. (1888), John W.R. (1892), Worthington or Wellington (1898), and Halie (1902). The 1880 census listed Mary F. Hall as disabled. All of the Hall’s children learned to read and write. In February 1875 Bazil Hall purchased one hundred and thirty acres of land with his brothers-in-law John H. Riggs and Samuel A. Riggs. Part of a tract called "Owen's Resurvey," the acreage stood north of Brooke Grove next to Benjamin R. Fish's farm. In 1877 they sold Joseph Wood over a hundred-dollars-worth of tobacco, wheat, and property. A few months later, they also sold Wood a large number of livestock, crops, and farm equipment. The deed for the latter transaction noted that the sale would be void if Hall and the Riggs brothers could pay Wood the two hundred and fifty dollars they owed him. In August 1878 they sold all one hundred and thirty acres to Wood for eight hundred dollars - four hundred dollars less than they had originally paid. Their debt may have resulted from borrowing money from Wood, a wealthy farmer, in order to purchase their farm. In 1891 Bazil Hall purchased one acre of land from Albert G. Meriwether and then purchased a second acre from Meriwether four years later. Both acres stood in a tract called "Water's Conclusion" in the First District of Montgomery County, bordering the Seneca Bridge near Goshen. Bazil Hall owned the land until 1905 when he sold it to Henry A. Clagett. By 1900 the Halls were living on the farm of Lloyd Brown, Bazil Hall's half-brother on his mother's side. Hall worked on Brown's farm as a hired hand. The Halls lived with Brown for at least the next ten years. Bazil Hall went to live with his married son James following Julia's death between 1910 and 1920. Hall passed away on November 22, 1924 with his death certificate listing his age as ninety-four. Although Hall claimed to be twenty-nine-years-old when he enlisted with the 39th Regiment, his birth year had varied from 1830 to 1846 throughout different census, military, and vital records. Like his brothers Lloyd Brown and William Hall, Bazil Hall was buried at the Brooke Grove United Methodist Church.

Brookeville George Dorsey (b. circa 1841 – d. ?) Dr. William Magruder of Brookeville enslaved nineteen people in 1853, with the slave assessments of that and later years recording the first names of the enslaved who ranged in age from one to forty-one. Magruder's enslaved people increased to thirty by 1860. In 1864 the enslaved twenty-three-year-old George Dorsey was drafted into the Union Army. Magruder did not participate in the Montgomery County Slave Statistics, a program undertaken from 1867 to 1868 at the urging of slaveholders hoping to receive financial reimbursement for the slaves that they had lost to the Union Army. Robert O. Scott (b. circa 1845 - d. 1864) According to Civil War muster rolls, Robert O. Scott was born in Montgomery County around 1845 and was enslaved by James Riggs. Since James Riggs does not appear in contemporary census records or maps for Montgomery County, it is possible that the slaveholder was actually Brookeville farmer John A. Riggs, who enslaved someone Scott's age in 1860. On March 14, 1864 Scott enlisted with the 30th Regiment of the Maryland Volunteer Infantry, appearing in their muster rolls as nineteen years old and six feet tall. Scott was mustered in as a private four days later, while the company stayed at the barracks at Camp Birney in Baltimore. Located on Druid Hill, Camp Birney took its name from General William Birney, who had organized several regiments of the United States Colored Troops. George H. Walcott, another African American soldier mustered into service in March, described his fellow soldiers at Camp Birney as "young, ambitious, of good principles, and good companions." Upon enlistment, Scott received the following articles of clothing and insignia, worth $30.04 total: "one Haversack, one Knapsack, one Canteen, one pr [pair] Shoulder Scales Metallic, one cap bugle and letter [and] one pr. of Over Coat straps." The "bugle and letter" referred to the brass bugle insignia and the brass company letter worn on a Union infantry cap. Tragically Scott died the following month from "rubeola," or measles, at the Regimental Hospital in the Belger Barracks. The date of his death varies from April 7, 1864, to April 12, depending on the record. His death most likely occurred on April 7 as marked on his headstone. Scott was buried at Laurel Cemetery, an African American cemetery near Baltimore, Maryland. In 1884 the graves of many of the soldiers buried at the cemetery, including Robert O. Scott's, were moved to Loudon Park National Cemetery in Baltimore. This cemetery was established in 1862 to bury both the Union and “Rebel” dead, with most of the original interments coming from Baltimore hospitals. His grave lies in section R, plot 84.

Colesville Thomas Jones (b. ? - d. ?) During the Civil War some of the enslaved people on Francis Valdenar's farm near Colesville were drafted into the Union Army. Thomas Jones, one of Valdenar’s enslaved, was drafted into the Union Army in May of 1864, just months before the abolition of slavery in Maryland on November 1, 1864. In the mid-19th century Francis Valdenar, like all residents in the Sandy Spring area, had an assessment done on his property, including the number of people enslaved. In 1855 Valdenar listed the following male slaves in his assessment: Lewis, John, and Charles (valued at $75 each); Perry, George, Hanson, and William (valued at $250 each); Thomas, Rezin, Uriah, Sam, John, and Daniel (valued at $400 each). The females listed in the 1855 assessment were Infant, Elizabeth, Hannah, and Ann (valued at $50 each); Martha, Sophia, June, Miranda, and Lucinda (valued at $200 each); Charlotte, Cynthia, Eliza, Charlotte, Caroline (valued at $300 each); Harriet, and Maria (valued at $100 each). By 1859 Valdenar was a Delegate at the Montgomery County slaveholders meeting. Uriah Perry (b. circa 1831 – d. 1864) On February 23, 1864 Uriah Perry, enslaved on Colesville planter Francis Valednar’s plantation, was enlisted into Company D, 23rd regiment in Washington, DC. Perry was to serve a term of three years and was ranked as a private. He was killed in action 64 miles from Petersburg, VA. on July 30, 1864 and died at the age of 33. Francis Valdenar claimed 32 slaves in the 1867 Slave Statistics, including Uriah Perry, who was deceased. Other slaves mentioned in the Slave Statistics were the Budd, Jones, Ricks, Jackson, Perry, Bazil and Shorter families.

Davis Corner Samuel Owens (b. circa 1825 - d. 1866) Samuel Owens was a free black landowner in the Sandy Spring area of Montgomery County. Owens, a mulatto, was born circa 1825, probably a free born black. Owens appears on the census for the first time in 1840 and is listed in a household with one adult male, one adult female, and one minor child. August 18, 1850 Samuel Owens purchased a part of the tract of land called "Addition to Charley Forrest" from Caleb and Henrietta Bentley. By 1854 Samuel Owens extended his land by purchasing another lot from an unknown source, but received a receipt from someone named E. G. Brown. Owens was married to Sarah Waters; his wedding was officiated by Thomas McCormick. They lived in Davis Corner with their children Albert, Hannah, Elizabeth, Samuel, Laura, Anna, and Sarah. Samuel and Sarah Ownes, were both trustees of the Sharp Street Church, where they also worshipped. Many of the free blacks in Sandy Spring worshipped at the Sharp Street Church and served as trustees. In 1863 Samuel Owens was drafted into the Union Army during the Civil War. He was a member of the 2nd Regiment, Company C, Maryland Cavalry, serving for 6 months from August 12, 1863 - February 6, 1864. When he entered service, he ranked in as a private and when he mustered out he ranked as a corporal. Samuel Owens’ health began to fail him and he died in January 1866. In his will he left all of his land to his wife and children to be divided. Thomas Marriott (b. circa 1831 - d. 1874) Regiment Unknown, USCT. Buried Unknown. Thomas Marriott, a mulatto, was born about 1831 in Maryland. In 1850 Marriott worked as a laborer at the home of Isaac Hartshorne in the Cracklin District. Marriott and his wife Caroline had nine children - George, Anna, Thomas, Jonas, John, Lewis, William, Benjamin, and Caroline. The Marriotts were members of the Sharp Street Church, where Thomas was also a trustee. In 1854 Marriott purchased a tract of land that was part of the Addition to Charley Forrest from Charles Hill of Baltimore, MD. In 1857 Thomas Marriott and his wife Caroline sold that tract of land, “The Addition to Charley Forrest,” to Mary Hardesty. In 1859 Marriott purchased another tract of land that was a part of nearby Snowden's Manor Enlarged, from Joseph Todd of Montgomery County. Marriott worked as a farmer until he was drafted by the Union Army in 1863. When Marriott returned home he became a member of the Eureka Society (a religious organization). Marriott served as a trustee of the Eureka Society along with Remus Q. Hill and Nelson Edwards. In 1873 the Eureka Society sold land to the trustees of the Cedar Mount Cemetery for the sum of $40. On December 15, 1874 the Eureka Society sold an additional piece of their land to Caleb Dorsey. Upon his death in 1874, Thomas Marriott willed to his wife Caroline all of his property (real and personal). At Caroline's death Thomas' property was to be divided equally amongst his children.

Laytonsville Luke Letcher (b. circa 1845 - d. 1865) Born around 1845, Luke Letcher was one of thirteen people enslaved by the Montgomery County farmer Samuel Riggs. On March 22, 1864 Letcher enlisted in Baltimore as a private with the 39th Regiment, U.S.C.T., of the Maryland Volunteer Infantry. He served in Company B along with other soldiers from Montgomery County. When Luke Letcher joined the 39th, he left behind five other slaves with the Letcher surname: John Letcher, age 23; Alcinda Letcher, age 25; Hannah Letcher, age 17; Emily Letcher, age 15; and Adolphine Letcher, age 13. The 39th participated in the Wilderness Campaign as well as the Siege of Petersburg in 1864 and the Battle of the Crater. They also fought in the battles for Fort Fisher and Wilmington in 1865. Luke Letcher must have distinguished himself in particular during his service, since he had been promoted to the rank of sergeant by the end of the war. Unfortunately the details surrounding his promotion are unknown. On August 29, 1865 Sergeant Letcher died from typhoid fever in the Regimental Hospital in New Bern, North Carolina. He was interred at New Bern National Cemetery, one of 3,500 Union soldiers buried there. His grave stands in section 14, grave 2548. In 1998 the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. commemorated Sergeant Letcher among the 209,145 black soldiers listed on the monument. His name appears on plaque C-54 on the Wall of Honor. Mortimer King (b. circa 1830 - d. 1911) Mortimer King was born around 1830 to William King and an unknown enslaved woman. In December of 1834, Montgomery County slaveholder Samuel Riggs inherited the four-year-old King. Riggs usually appeared in records as "Samuel Riggs of R," identifying him as the son of Reuben Riggs and differentiating him from other relatives with the same name. In 1864 King was one of thirteen enslaved people on Riggs' farm, along with Albert King (b. 1823), Hanson King (b. 1841), and Rachel King (b. 1838). The farm, which Samuel Riggs inherited from his father, stood in the Cracklin District of Montgomery County just north of Laytonsville. A number of Kings were also enslaved on the nearby farms of Thomas Griffith and Samuel O. Dorsey. On March 28, 1864 Mortimer King enlisted as a private with Company K of the 30th Regiment, USCT, Maryland Volunteer Infantry. Mortimer King's service record describes him as 5' 7" tall with a "griff" complexion, a term loosely signifying both African and European ancestry. According to his service record, King was promoted to the rank of corporal on March 31, 1864, just three days after enlisting. Shortly after enlisting, King paid fifty cents for a pair of shoulder scales commonly worn by privates and corporals in "full dress." In June of 1865 he paid $5.03 for a "Stop for Transportation," which referred to a furlough that he took from May 21 to June 20, 1865. In August he paid thirty-one cents for a gun sling. During his entire service, King paid a total of $37.53 for clothing and $6.00 for ammunition. Mortimer King was mustered out on December 10, 1865 in Roanoke Island. He returned to the Cracklin District of Montgomery County, where he lived near Brighton. King and his wife Amelia (b. circa 1840) had one daughter, Margaret, born around 1856. He passed away on April 2, 1911 in Baltimore and was buried at Loudon Park National Cemetery. His headstone, number 1452 in section C, reads "Corpl. Mortimer King, U.S.C.T." In 1998 the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington D.C. commemorated Mortimer King along with the 209,145 soldiers listed on its Wall of Honor. King's name appears on plaque B-46.

Olney Samuel Debtor (b. circa 1848 - d. circa ?) Eighteen-year-old Samuel Debtor (also spelled Dettor) was born into slavery on Josiah W. Jones's farm in Olney, Maryland, around 1848. In 1853 Montgomery County slave assessment records listed "Sam" as four years old and worth seventy-five dollars. That year Josiah W. Jones' ten enslaved people included one woman, thirty-one-year-old Eleanor, who may have been Samuel Debtor's mother. By 1860 Samuel was one of thirteen enslaved people living in the farm's two slave quarters. On March 22, 1864 Debtor enlisted as a private with Company B of the newly-formed 39th Regiment, Maryland Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Samuel M. Bowman. The 39th's muster rolls erroneously named Debtor's owner as Joseph Jones. The regiment participated in the battles of Petersburg, Spotsylvania Court House, and the Crater. He received his final pay on June 30, 1865. When Debtor enlisted in 1864, he left behind seven other slaves with the Debtor surname: Tilghman and Mary, both seventeen; Martha, age twelve; Elias, age eight; and Anne, age two. Samuel Debtor is absent from the Maryland census records following the Civil War. However the 1870 census showed that Martha and Elias Debtor had remained with Josiah W. Jones as domestic servants. Debtor's name appears (as "Samuel Detter") on plaque C-54 among the 209,145 names listed on the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Tilghman Debtor (b. ? - d. ?) Josiah W. Jones, an Olney farmer, reported that enslaved Tilghman Debtor enlisted with the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.). Like his brother, Samuel, Tilghman had joined the 39th Regiment, serving in Company G. The state compensated Jones with one hundred dollars for each of the two enlisted slaves. Tilghman Debtor does not appear in the Maryland census records following the Civil War.

Unity Wilson Lincoln (b. 1836 – d. 1864) Wilson J. Lincoln was born around 1836 in Montgomery County. He was likely enslaved on Ulysses Griffith's farm near Unity, appearing in 1853 and 1855 slave assessment records as "Willson.” In 1857 Wilson and Perry Lincoln purchased farm animals and farm equipment from William B. Gaither and Henry Dwyer. The 1850 census for Montgomery County identified Perry Lincoln as a free black, and he was likely Wilson's brother, although born in Prince George's County. According to the land record, Wilson and Perry paid one hundred and fifty dollars to Samuel Griffith, who in turn paid Gaither and Dwyer. Their purchase included three horses, three cows, twenty pigs, six plows, two wagons, a crop of potatoes and a crop of wheat. Wilson Lincoln was free by 1860, when he and his brother Benjamin lived next door to William B. Gaither's mill and Henry Dwyer's stone masonry shop south of Unity. That year, the two brothers worked as "pump makers." They probably built pumps for Gaither's mill, which stood on Hawlings River. In May 1864 Wilson Lincoln was drafted by the Union army. Although the first draft that year took place in March, the President had ordered a second conscription "of an additional 200,000 men," beginning in May. On May 24, the Baltimore Sun published a list of the sixty-three men drafted from the First District of Montgomery County including "Wilson Linklon, colored." Lincoln arrived in Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland on June 20, 1864. Colonel John C. Holland, a U.S. provost marshal, mustered Lincoln into Company G, 28th Regiment, U.S.C.T. Although the 28th was part of the Indiana Volunteer Infantry, the men recruited in Maryland were "credited to Maryland [by the] War Dept., Washington D.C." The 28th Regiment participated in the Battle of the Crater and the Siege of Petersburg. Lincoln served with the company as a private for the remainder of the Civil War. He was discharged in Norfolk, Virginia on June 10, 1865. Wilson Lincoln appears among the 209,145 black soldiers commemorated on the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. His name appears on plaque B-44 on the Wall of Honor, along with the name of his brother, Perry Lincoln. Perry Lincoln (b. ? – d. ?) Perry Lincoln, a free black from Unity, enlisted as “a substitute,” standing in place of another man. He entered with the 28th Regiment in 1864, serving in Company I as a sergeant. After being "absent sick" in October, Perry Lincoln died from the final stages of "phthisis pulmonalis," or tuberculosis, on November 9, 1864 at the L'Ouverture Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. The physician noted that "of His past history nothing is known." It is also unknown for whom he had substituted. Perry Lincoln was buried in Alexandria's newly-established Freedmen's Cemetery, in grave number eighty-eight. Bazel Ciphas (b. circa 1842 - d. circa ?) Twenty-three-year-old Bazel Ciphas enlisted in Montgomery County with the Maryland Volunteer Infantry on March 22, 1864. He had left his place of enslavement on Ulysses Griffith's farm near Unity. Colonel Samuel M. Bowman mustered him into service on March 24, 1864 in Baltimore with Company B of the newly-formed 39th Regiment. The regiment fought in battles that included Petersburg, Spotsylvania Court House, and the Crater. Like many soldiers in the regiment, Bazel Ciphas had to pay $6.00 for his musket and other supplies when he received his final pay on June 30, 1865. In 1890 his widow, Mary E. "Cephas" applied for a pension. Ciphas's name is among the 209,145 names listed on the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. His name appears as "Bazil Cephas" on plaque C-53 on the Wall of Honor. Josiah Ciphas (b. ? – d. ?) In 1864 Josiah Ciphas enlisted with Company B of the newly-formed 39th Regiment. Also in the company was Bazel Ciphas, although his relationship to Bazel is unknown. Robert Lincoln (b. circa 1836 - d. circa ?) On March 22, 1864 Robert Lincoln enlisted with the newly-formed 39th Regiment of the Maryland Volunteer Infantry in Montgomery County, Maryland. He transferred to the Navy on April 11 of the same year. His transfer was not unusual since the U.S. War Department had sent out General Orders that spring asking any experienced seamen to consider transferring to the Navy. The orders also specified the goal of transferring one thousand men "in the most expeditious manner" to the Naval station in Baltimore. At least fourteen other soldiers from Company B transferred along with Lincoln, including Private Bazil Hall, who had also enlisted in Montgomery County. Upon arriving at the Naval station, Lincoln would have received payment for the short time he had served with the United States Colored Troops, which was slightly over a month. At 5'3" tall, Lincoln was classified as a landsman, showing that he actually had little or no experience at sea. From October 1864 to January 1867, Lincoln served two months on the U.S.S. Philadelphia and approximately two years aboard the U.S.S. Lancaster (1865 to 1867). Following the War Lincoln may have returned to Montgomery County, since a Robert Lincoln, born around 1825, was living in Montgomery County in 1870. This Robert Lincoln lived only a few houses away from Wilson J. Lincoln, another African American veteran of the war. As a veteran of the Civil War, Robert Lincoln's name appears on the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C., among the names of the 209,145 soldiers. His name is found on plaque C-54 on the Wall of Honor. Albert Snowden (b. 1843 - d. 1908) Albert Snowden was born in October 1843 to Isaac Snowden and an unknown enslaved woman. The Montgomery County slave statistics (taken in 1867 after Emancipation) listed Snowden as enslaved by Rebecca Allnutt who lived near Unity. Snowden would have received his freedom upon Allnutt's death. On March 3, 1864 Albert Snowden enlisted with the newly-formed 39th Regiment of the Maryland Volunteer Infantry in Montgomery County. The muster rolls listed him as "Alfred," a name variation that showed up in different records throughout Albert Snowden's life. The 39th participated in battles that included Petersburg, Spotsylvania Court House, and the Crater. The 39th's muster rolls listed Snowden's enslaver as Robert M. Gail, instead of Rebecca Allnutt. Having survived the Civil War, Snowden was mustered out in 1865. He initially returned to Montgomery County to reside near Brighton with his wife Charlotte and their daughter Gussy (b. 1865). Charlotte Snowden passed away sometime between 1870 and 1880. By 1880 Snowden had moved to Baltimore City where he lived with his second wife, Liza, and three children: Zenetia (b. 1871), George A. (b. 1879), and Walter (b. 1885). According to Baltimore City's 1880 directory, Albert and Liza Snowden resided at 6 Greenwillow Court, just north of the intersection of North Fremont and Franklin streets. Albert worked as a waiter while Liza, also called Eliza, worked as a laundress. Snowden appeared in the 1890 veteran's census with the pension record listing his wife as Levenia. By then Snowden had moved just a few streets over to 538 Oxford Street, although he continued working as a waiter. He was again a widower in 1900, when that area's census taker misspelled his name as "Alfred Snoyden." His youngest child, five-year-old Walter, lived with him. A note in the margins of Snowden's entry referred to Samuel "Snoyden" on the previous page, and while the relationship between Albert and Samuel is unknown, their ages suggest that they may have been brothers or cousins. Albert Snowden passed away on March 21, 1908 in Silver Spring. His daughter Charlotte Taylor (who may have been his daughter "Gussy," since she was born the same year), gave his full name as Albert Emery Alexander Snowden. He may have been buried at the Loudon Park National Cemetery, where grave 12858 is inscribed with "Alf'd Snowden, U.S.C.T." and March 10, 1909 as the date of death. The grave stands in section C, site 1286. Henry Bruce (b. circa 1830 - d. 1916) On March 31, 1864 Henry B. Bruce enlisted in Montgomery County, Maryland, with the newly-formed 39th Regiment, U.S.C.T., of the Maryland Volunteer Infantry. Muster rolls listed Bruce as enslaved by Wilson Grummes (b. 1808). This was actually William Groomes who lived near Unity. Although Groomes did not appear on Martenet's 1865 map of the county, his farm stood next to Bushrod Gartrell's farm. Groomes enslaved two people in 1853 and 1855: the teenagers Josiah (b. circa 1841) and Harriet (b. circa 1839), but not Henry, who was born around 1830. In the 1860 slave census, the ages of Groomes' two slaves match the ages of Josiah and Harriet. Perhaps Groomes purchased Henry Bruce after 1860 but before 1864 when Bruce enlisted. Henry Bruce served in Company D. Bruce suffered a shell wound to his back on July 31, 1864, the day after the Battle of the Crater. Although the battle had occurred the previous day, Meade's army did not offer a flag of truce until noon on the 31st, so Bruce's wound earlier that day, perhaps by the continuous sniper fire, is entirely feasible. The possibility also exists that Bruce was wounded in the battle itself but the wrong date was entered. The Battle of the Crater, fought on July 30, 1864, involved the largest numbers of black troops so far assembled in the Civil War. Brigadier General Edward Ferrero's 4th Division (under General Burnside's 9th Corps) was comprised of the 19th, 23rd, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 39th, and 43th U.S.C.T. regiments. The disastrous battle resulted in the highest casualties for African American soldiers in the entire war. Many of the Union casualties included disarmed, captured, and injured USCT soldiers whom Confederate soldiers massacred during and following the battle. The 39th Regiment, under Colonel Ozora P. Stearns, sustained thirteen killed, ninety-seven wounded, and forty-seven missing or captured - a total of one hundred and fifty-seven casualties. On August 6, 1864 the Baltimore Sun listed "Henry Bruch" among the wounded, although only sixty-nine were counted in the regiment as wounded at the time. Fortunately Bruce survived his wound and was discharged in Washington, D.C. on May 27, 1865 under General's Order No. 77, which was "the first order issued by the War Department discharging men by reason of close of the war.”