The Grand Review of US Colored Troops took place in Harrisburg on Tuesday, November 14, 1865. The procession began at the southeast corner of Soldiers Grove, at what is now the junction of Seventh Street and South Drive. Hundreds of USCT veterans marched before the residence of former Secretary of War Simon Cameron and then appeared before the state capitol building where they heard from speakers such as noted activist William Howard Day (pictured above). Later that evening, they held a banquet. It was, in the words of the great abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator, “a pleasant and happy day.”
Yearly Archives: 2010
A Visit to Lincoln Cemetery
Historic Lincoln Cemetery in Pennbrook, Dauphin County holds the remains of several black Civil War soldiers as well as notable nineteenth-century civil rights activists and writers such as William Howard Day and T. Morris Chester. In this short video, National Civil War Museum curator Brett Kelley interviews local historian Calobe Jackson about the cemetery’s historical significance and about some of the stories of the heroes who are buried in this special place.
1865 Article Promotes Upcoming Review
THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER
November 11, 1865
WELCOME TO OUR COLORED SOLDIERS.
The good people of Pennsylvania, ever ready to show their appreciation of every good and noble act, have, through the Garnet E.R. League, of Harrisburg , made most brilliant arrangements to tender a formal welcome to our returned heroes, who have risked life and limb in defence of the Republic.
This reception will occur on next Tuesday, 14th inst., at Harrisburg . The order of exercises will be found (at least a part of them) ion our advertising columns. As the management has been intrusted to those who are au fait in matters of the kind, no failure can be anticipated in that direction.
We earnestly hope our people will not fail to show their appreciation of the services of our country’s defenders, and we look for our leading men to swell the multitude. The hospitality of our colored citizens of Harrisburg being unbounded, nothing will be wanting to add to the comfort of all who may visit that city.
We expect the various Rail Road companies will reduce the fare to and from the seat of the reception. While speaking on this subject, we must mention the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road. This is one of the best managed roads in the State, and those who desire first class accommodations, will do well to patronize this company. Rally, then, and do not let our people in other States say that the colored citizens of the Keystone State are not alive to their own interests.
Courtesy of Accessible Archives
Press Release Detailing 2010 Grand Review
News for Immediate Release
Jan. 15, 2010
PA Tourism Office Invites Public to Help Tell the Stories of U.S. Colored Troops Members
In Gettysburg, Agency Launches Search for Descendants
Gettysburg – The Pennsylvania Tourism Office is searching for the families of James Shirk of Shippensburg, Enoch Watson of Lancaster, and Robert Bridges Forten of Philadelphia, as well as the relatives of tens of thousands of other men who fought in the Civil War as members of the United States Colored Troops.
The Colored Troops were regiments of the U.S. Army that were comprised of free blacks and freed slaves; the soldiers reinforced the Union army in the final two years of the Civil War.
During a visit to St. Paul AME Zion Church—a site regarded as the center of black life and culture in Gettysburg during the 19th century—Department of Community and Economic Development Deputy Secretary for Tourism Mickey Rowley said the commonwealth wants to tell the stories of those men and announced the state is launching an effort to locate their descendants.
“Shirk, Watson, and Forten are just three of the 180,000 members of the Colored Troops who fought in the Civil War,” said Rowley. “Now is the time to create a conversation among the families of these troops, among the communities they called home, and among those who are unaware of this vital piece of American history.”
The St. Paul AME Zion Church was home to the “Slave Refugee Society,” a group established in 1840 to “help those who sought freedom from the ‘tyrannical yoke of oppression.’”
The descendants will be included in a year-long commemoration – called the Pennsylvania Grand Review – that will include exhibitions, presentations and conservation projects that will reveal the hidden histories of the troops.
The Grand Review will serve as a commemoration of the November 1865 event of the same name. It was organized by the women of Harrisburg to honor the United States Colored Troops who were not permitted to participate in the Grand Review of the Armies, a military procession and celebration held May 23-24, 1865, in Washington, D.C., following the end of the Civil War.
“We have designed the Grand Review to reconnect the families of the USCT with their history, conserve the gravesites of these troops, and share this piece of history with a new generation of Americans,” Rowley said. “Our commemoration will culminate Nov. 5-7 with a reenactment, parade, and living history presentations, followed by a wreath-laying on Nov. 19 at the grave of Charles Parker, one of only two United States Colored Troops buried at National Cemetery in Gettysburg.”
Descendants of the United States Colored Troops should call 1-800-VISIT-PA and provide their contact information, which will include them in this special year-long commemoration of these African-American patriots.
Rowley noted that the Grand Review is being made possible by the generous support of Amtrak, which provided $25,000 for promotional support and development along with the Pennsylvania Humanities Council that supplied $16,000 for a symposium of scholars, educators, and enthusiasts.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. For information, contact Lenwood Sloan, director of cultural and heritage tourism at the Department of Community and Economic Development, at 717-720-1313 or at lsloan@state.pa.us.
The Grand Review has been created in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, PA Dutch Country Roads, the Senator John Heinz History Center, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Concerned Black Men of PA, Partnership for Sacred Spaces, Institute for Cultural Partnerships, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Pennsylvania Civil War 150 Consortium, Historical Society of Dauphin County, Dauphin County Parks and Recreation, Jump Street Inc., Harrisburg 150, and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Northern Appalachian Studies.
The Pennsylvania Tourism Office, under DCED, is dedicated to inspiring travel to the State of Independence. For more information, go to visitPA.com or call (800) VISIT PA; become a fan at facebook.com/visitPA, follow us at twitter.com/visitPA, share photos at flickr.com/visitPA, or watch us on youtube.com/visitPA. For a free subscription to Pursuits Magazine, go to visitPA.com/pursuits.
Media contact: Michael Chapaloney, 717-720-1301
Editor’s Note: For additional Pennsylvania tourism story ideas, follow us at www.twitter.com/patourismpr.
Reminiscences of My Life in Camp
Susie King Taylor, born 1848, wrote a book in 1902 documenting her time spent enrolled as a laundress with the Union’s 1st South Carolina Volunteers, later named 33rd regiment of the United States Colored Troops, during the Civil War. Documenting the American South, an online resource at the University of North Carolina, has her entire book online.
The book makes great use of primary sources, such as the General Order No. 1 of Lt. Colonel C.T. Trowbridge, commander of the regiment.
Taylor’s account is remarkably vivid outlining the struggles of African American Union soldiers fighting in the South. She described how “men and even women would sneer and molest them whenever they met them” while her regiment’s “brave men risked life and limb” to assist the citizens of Charleston, S.C. after the 1865 Confederate retreat and subsequent burning of the city.
This a great online primary resource for anyone interested in the life of African American soldiers during the Civil War. Camp life, battles, occupation, and officer descriptions are all intrinsically linked together in Taylor’s candid narrative of one of the definitive moments in our country’s history.