In August of 1866, 175 Black Union Soldiers died on the way home to Missouri after the Civil War. They had fought for their freedom and had won. But they would never live to enjoy the freedom they earned for themselves and their loved ones. An epidemic of cholera erupted and 175 lives would be lost. They were returned to Missouri and buried, on Coke Island at first and later in 1939 their remains were transferred to St. Louis Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery for reburial, but this second time they were placed in a mass grave, with nothing to designate who they were.
Today, after 80 years, the names of 175 men of the 56th US Colored Infantry have had their names shared once again to the world.
In a special ceremony organized by Sarah Cato and other members of the St. Louis African American Genealogy & History Society, these men were remembered. All of these men died in August 1866, and today on a beautiful summer day in August, they were honored.
When they were moved to the National Cemetery in 1939, they were placed in a mass grave with a stone that simply said, "Unknown" . But their names were known, and were recorded in the official records as well as in a later publication. The St. Louis genealogy group learned of this occurrence several months ago, and became involved in correcting the omission of their names and the lack of honor due these men. (Karen Baker of the St. Louis group and Sarah Cato shared their names and they appear in the list below.)
Today, in a moving ceremony at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis Missouri, their names were read, and honor was brought back to these freedom fighters of the 56th US Colored Infantry.
NAMES OF THE SOLDIERS:
Read aloud by George Abingdon (A Descendant of 1 of the 175 soldiers.)
1. Granville Avington
2. Samuel Randall
3. John Quinn
4. Jerry Craig
5. John Cartwright
6. Alfred Lindsey
7. Tecumseh Brown
8. Charles Rose
9. William Lewis
10. Fountain Harris
Read aloud by Jeff Barnes:
1. John Veny
2. Willie Smith
3. James Willis
4. Thomas Boles
5. Edgar Boles
6. Chatman Pryor
7. Elijah Bond
8. Samuel Harris
9. Abner Howell
10. Moses Jones
Read aloud by Chris Holland
1. Thomas Lewis
2. Henry Harrison
3. David Haywood
4. John Morse
5. Mario Jenkins
5. Israel Pryor
7. Warren Anderson
8. William J.
Thomas
9. Peter P.
Jackman
10. Joseph Collins “
Read aloud by John Scates
1. Juber Dunlap
2. Henry Ellis
3. Marion Woodson
4. Jupiter Mack
5. Charles Might
6. Samuel
Henderson
7. Dennis Ewing
8. George Gibbs
9. William Johnson
10. Edward Fields
Read aloud by Lou Aboussie
1. George
Washington
2. Washington
Russell
3. James Crow
4. Bazil Hawkins
5. Henry Eli
6. Daniel Hubbard
7. Oliver Wilson
8. Lewis Johnston
9. Oliver C.
Griggs
10. Alfred Amis
Read aloud by John Boesch
1. James Russell
2. George
Singleton
3. Charles Malcome
4. Hezekiah
Nuckels
5. Horace Foster
6. Jesse Wilson
7. Kit Caldwell
8. James Fisher
9. James
Washington
10. Henry Washington
Read aloud By Freddie Dunlap
1. Jerry Kaufman
2. William Hayes
3. Garrett Pryor
4. Samuel Gilbert
5. John Harrison
6. Charles Green
7. Moses White
8. Antoni Ball
9. Shadrick Davis “
10. Andrew Ford
Read aloud by Alex Detrick
1. George Harvey
2. John Burt
3. Israel Day
4. Joseph Johnson
5. Alvin Colwell
6. Samuel Payne
7. Albert Nicholas
8. Alfred Somers
9. James Crigler
10. Jackson Collins
Read aloud by Frank Smith
1. Richard Berry
2. Henry Colman
3. Robert Jones
4. Drew I. Bell
5. Edward Ferguson
6. Richard Allen
7. Dary Washington
8. Philip Beasley
9. Isam Wooten
10.
Jefferson Fort
Read aloud by Beverly Harris
1. Alexander Allcom
2. Booker Bowles
3. Patrick Chiles
4. Henry Payton
5. Levi J. Eckles
6. William T. Adams
7. William Alexander
8. Daniel Taylor
9. Dennis Ewing
10. Richard Fort
Read aloud by Edwina Lindsay
1. George
Henderson
2. Paris Sebastian
3. George McGruder
4. Levi McCaney
5. Alexander
Anderson
6. Hamilton Allen
7. William Bird
8. Adam Brown
9. Henry Everson
10. Alfred Elliott
Read aloud by Charles Brown
1. Charles Fowler
2. Augustus Gibson
3. Edward Harris
4. Emanuel
Richardson
5. Thomas Williams
6. Samuel Perkins
7. Frank Enyard
8. Unknown
9. Unknown
10. Unknown
Read aloud by Josephine Carter
1. Lewis Hartson
2. Alexander
Hutchinson
3. Silas Jefford
4. Lucian Lewis
5. Neelus Miller
6. Gilbert Ray
7. Fieldin
Robinson
8. John Turner
9. Parker Wall
10. Andy Thomas
Read aloud by Pat Simmons
1. Caleb Hamilton
2. Frank Sullivan
3. George Childers
4. Joshua Jeff
5. William Church
6. James Alexander
7. Baker Grigsby
8. George English
9. Henry Kitchen
10. Jacob Reed
Read aloud by Carola Wright
1. Scott Glasby
2. Samuel Bedford
3. Justus Allen
4. Norbert
Abernathy
5. Alexander
Underwood
6. Thomas Dowell
7. Joseph Brooks
8. William Devlan
9. James Floyd
10. George Washington
Read aloud by Karen Baker
1. Philip Stark
2. Frank Harris
3. Jones Stuart
4. Allie Smith
5. Lewis Westover
6. Joseph Williams
7. John Pitzer
8. Doctor
Henderson
9. Issac David
10. Walker Scott
Read aloud by John La Grone
1. Amos Samuels
2. Squire Cowherd
3. William Walker
4. Howard Cowan
5. Richard Cates
6. Harrison
Strauther
7. Samuel Maupin
8. Fred MaGuire
9. Jeter Pitts
10. Sanford Hill
Read aloud by Harold Russell
1. John (last name unknown)
2. Unknown
3. Unknown
4. Unknown
5. Unknown
"An ancestor never dies till there is no one left to call their name."
Yoruba Proverb
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