On Tuesday June 27 at 6 p.m., the Academy Art Museum and the Talbot Historical Society will host a lecture, “Forgotten Warriors: Maryland’s Black Soldiers During the Civil War,” by noted Maryland historian Daniel Carroll Toomey.
During the Civil War 186,000 Black men served in the Union Army. The small state of Maryland, divided in its loyalties, contributed six regiments or about 9,000 men to the Union war effort. An additional regiment was organized in Norfolk, Virginia, but composed mostly of men from the lower Chesapeake Bay region and those who served in the United States Navy. Approximately half of these men were free when they entered the service, the other half slaves who gained their freedom as a condition of enlistment.
Segregated into regiments known as United States Colored Troops and commanded by White officers, these Marylanders of Color forged combat records equal to any units formed after the Emaciation Proclamations took effect. Of the 16 Black soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Civil War, seven were Marylanders. Toomey will explain the evolution of these men from slave to soldier and recount their many accomplishments both as soldiers on the battlefield and veterans after the war.
Daniel Carroll Toomey is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the author or co-author of over a dozen books including “The Civil War in Maryland” and “Baltimore During the Civil War.” He has lectured for a number of historical organizations and colleges including the Smithsonian Institution and Johns Hopkins University.
The lecture is free and open to the public. For additional information and to register, visit academyartmuseum.org.
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