Wounded USCTs Captured at the Crater Advertised in Petersburg

 

Back in March 2019, I shared an advertisement that ran in the Richmond Daily Dispatch listing the names of over 80 United States Colored Troops soldiers captured at the Battle of the Crater. The purpose of the ad was to alert the former owners of the men in order to potentially come claim them. 

A similar ad, albeit with fewer soldiers, ran in the Petersburg Daily Express on August 8, 1864. The list in the Daily Express enumerates 18 men. It also lists their owner's name and where they claimed to come from. The advertisement states that these soldiers were at the Poplar Lawn Military Hospital in Petersburg, which was located on South Sycamore Street, where Poplar Lawn Park is presently. The ad appears to have been authorized by Brig. Gen. Henry A. Wise, former governor of Virginia who authorized the hanging of John Brown.

Conducting searches by their names on Fold3.com, I was able to track down five of 18 soldiers and corroborate their wounding and capture at the Crater. Knowing the USCT regiments who fought at the Battle of the Crater helped me find those men relatively quickly. Interestingly, I found one listed man, William J. Cornish, in the 28th USCI (at regiment in the battle), but who according to his service records remained present with his regiment. Could it be that a comrade used Cornish's name as an alias? Hmmmmmmm.

The five men from the list who I was able to locate are as follows:

Pvt. Edward Turner, 18, from Baltimore, Maryland. Turner was a waiter before enlisting in Company D, 30th USCI on February 25, 1864. His service records state that he was missing in action on July 30 and "known to be badly wounded." Another notes states that Turner was sent to the Confederate States Military Prison Hospital in Richmond, and was wounded in the right arm. That arm was apparently amputated at the shoulder joint on August 14. In addition, compensation claims from Turner's owner, John R. Holliday (as also shown in the ad) appear in Turner's service records. Turner was manumitted by Holliday upon his enlistment, so he was technically not enslaved at the time of his capture. It is interesting that he would claim he had an owner to the Confederate authorities. Holliday received $300.00 for Turner's emancipation. Sadly, Turner died in the Confederate prison hospital on September 23, 1864. 

Pvt. Robert Banks, 22, served in Company G, 23rd USCI. He was born in Petersburg and enlisted in Washington D.C. One wonders how Banks felt about fighting outside of his hometown on July 30, 1864 at the Crater. Banks' occupation is noted as laborer. His service records state: "Captured July 30 . . . taken to Richmond and put in the employ of the gov[ernment] as teamster, rejoined the co[mpany] May 20, [18]65." Banks appears to have mustered out with the 23rd USCI in Texas in November 1865. Another document in Banks' service records notes his owner as William Bland (as also shown in the ad) and that Banks was delivered to Dickinson and Hill (Richmond slave traders) on October 2, 1864. Did Banks escape? Was he liberated when Richmond fell? Another document only gives a hint of a clue. A card states "Request that the within named escaped Pris[nor] of War be cared for until further orders." It is dated April 29, 1865 from Washington D.C.

Pvt. Samuel Green, 21, joined Company I, 23rd USCI on May 16, 1864, in Washington D.C. He was a laborer before enlisting and was born in King and Queen County, Virginia. In his records it states: "Captured by the rebels at the battle of Petersburg July 30, 1864. Escaped and returned to his Co[mpany] about April 18,1865. Discharged at Camp Lincoln, Va. 5-25-65 by reason of gunshot wound in left arm . . . ." Documents in Green's records indicate he was believed to be dead, but obviously his demise was greatly exaggerated. One document says that Green was delivered to his owner, a Major Bland in King and Queen County. Did Green make a second getaway from enslavement? It appears so! 

Pvt. Robert Brown, 20, of Company C, 23rd USCI was born in Prince Georges County, Maryland, and enlisted on February 6, 1864. Brown's records unfortunately do not provide much information. One card states, "Missing in action before Petersburg, Va. July 30, '64."

Pvt. George F. Medley, Company C, 23rd USCI, was the eldest of the men I was able to locate. He was 29. Get this though, he enlisted in Washington, D.C. on July 15; only two weeks and one day before the Battle of the Crater. He was serving as the substitute for a Samuel P. Gates. Like Edward Turner, Medley was eventually transferred to the Confederate Military Prison Hospital in Richmond. And like Turner, he was suffering from a wound in the right arm, and also similarly, Medley, died at the hospital, only on September 6, 1864.

I remain curious why more of these men are not identifiable in regimental service records. If anyone has ideas in addition to my supposition of aliases, I would be interested in hearing them.