Civil War Soldier Finally Honored

Image from Channel 20, Springfield Illinois

After more than 120 years, the soldier whose face we all know, was finally honored at his resting place, in Springfiled, Illinois, with a headstone.

Image Courtesy of the State Journal Register, Springfield, Illinois.

Pvt. Lewis Martin was a soldier in the 29th US Colored Infantry. Born in Arkansas, this man made it to Illinois before slavery ended, and when time came willingly enlisted in the Union Army. His regiment was dispatched to the eastern theatre of the Civil War and Martin was one of many soldiers wounded at the famous Crater in Petersburg Virginia. 

Document from Service record of Pvt. Lewis Martin.

Image from Fold3.com

I originally wrote an article about Pvt. Martin in 2011.  A Springfield Illinois based historical researcher, Kathy Heyworth, contacted me about the article and pointed out that she knew where he was buried, and that he had no headstone. Ironically this soldier is buried a few hundred feet from the most visited burial at the same cemetery. The burial ground is Oak Ridge Cemetery and not too far from Pvt. Lewis, rests the 16th  president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

Ms. Heyworth and others worked to obtain a stone for Pvt. Lewis and finally on Sunday, Pvt. Martin's resting place was given it's long overdue marker.

Not many details are known about his life. However, he did obtain a Civil War pension, although it was initially denied him, and even after receiving the pension he had to depend on others for help during the remainder of his life. Some of his funds were said to have been taken by his caretakers, and others. Being disabled he clearly could not work but he was able to live for a few years on his small funds nevertheless. Oddly, upon his death, in the newspapers he was merely reported to have been a heavy drinker, and the remains of the soldier were placed in the pauper's section of Oak Ridge, and with no marker pointing out his military service, or anything to indicated that he had ever lived.

Thankfully, his story has at long last received attention, and on Sunday November 3, he was given a marker and a ceremony was held to honor him. More than likely there are no descendants of this man, and it is not known if he had family at the time he died. At long last however, he will be remembered, and his stone will be seen by visitors to the cemetery.

Thank you Private Martin. We are grateful for your service, for your sacrifice and for your life.

Click Here for Video of the dedication.

Bounty Records of US Colored Troops, in Arkansas Freedman's Bureau Records T - Y

Ledger from Little Rock, Arkansas Field Office

Bounty Register
Roll of Claimants 1868 - 1871

This is the fifth of five articles in which Bounty Records of US Colored Troops are being shared. As stated earlier, these records represent previously unseen bounty payments of US Colored Troops, that were made in Arkansas, including notation of the payments remitted to the soldiers. In some cases one will see the names of women. There women were often the surviving widows of the soldier who was now deceased. In a few cases where there was no spouse, one might be another family member such as a sibling or child. This information was extracted from the Little Rock, Arkansas Field Office.

These represent the surnames beginning with the letters T though Y. (Note there were no surnames beginning with the letter Z.)

The source of all images is from the Internet Archive.

Taylor, Edmund - Thomas, Austin

Thomas, Robert  -  Trottey, Wm.

Upshur, James

Van Buren, Green -  Vaughn, Alex

Willis, Gabriel - Williams, Joe

Waters, Burrell  -  Waters, Moses

Waters, Arthur  -  Williamson, Andrew (Brother of Roger Bernard)

Williamson, Andrew  -  Washington, George

Williams, Mary, Mother of W. Nevils

Yeizer, Sam'l  -  Young, James.

This is the end of the names found on the ledger reflecting Bounty payments made to US Colored Troops in Arkansas. The payments were made to soldiers or their surviving families as late as 1870, and it is hoped that this will shed more light of data pertaining to the history of soldiers who were either from Arkansas, or who relocated to Arkansas after the Civil War.

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Pvt. Lewis Martin Finally Gets a Grave Marker

Pvt. Lewis Martin, 29th US Colored Infantry

In January of 2011 I wrote an article about Pvt. Martin. His face is a famous one, and many who study the history of the US Colored Troops are familiar with this image. But few really knew anything about him. I became doubly interested, because he was at one time enslaved in Arkansas.  After that article appeared on the blog, I heard from several researchers who live in Illinois, not far from the cemetery where he is buried. Ironically, Pvt. Martin's body rests not far from that of the 16th President of the United States-Abraham Lincoln! The grave is at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield Illinois.

In May of 2012, a local newspaper in Illinois also covered the story about Pvt. Martin. After that, efforts to secure a marker for Pvt. Martin increased. And now at long last, the Washington Post reports that a marker is now going to mark the final resting place of this man wounded at The Crater in Petersburg, Virginia, during the Civil War.

Martin returned to Illinois after the war ended, and obviously life would not be easy for a man with injuries as grave as those of Pvt Martin. In addition, being a man of color, he would not be treated as a man who fought for his freedom and for his country.

After I wrote the first article, I heard from Kathy Heyworth, and who is an avid historian who lives in Springfield Illinois, in the area not far from the burial site of Pvt. Martin. She was able to share additional details about the life of Lewis Martin the man. She learned a few details about his life in Springfield, and noted that during his lifetime, he had acquired property. Though he was known to drink in his later years, she also pointed out to me, that this man was most likely "self-medicating" after all we must remember, his wound were, indeed grave wounds. But being largely ignored by many of the townspeople he was simply believed to be a drinking man whose few meager earnings were given to the local saloon.

I am so proud of Ms. Heyworth and her work to get the stone for Pvt. Martin! This man gave an arm and a leg for his freedom, and though not recognized for over a century--his struggle was not in vain. This man who could have avoided the war, having reached Illinois, from Arkansas where he was a slave, but yet, he entered the conflict willingly, and paid a large price for his freedom and for that of others. And now more than 100 years after his death, a overdue honor is being paid to him.

As a descendant of enslaved people whose lives were dramatically affected by the actions of men like Pvt. Lewis Martin, I am so moved that at last he is getting the one thing that he deserved--to be honored and to have a military marker. My guess is that he never lived to hear these four simple words uttered to him in his lifetime, so I shall say them here:

"Thank you, Pvt. Martin".

Thousands of people visit Oak Ridge Cemetery each year. I hope that a new tradition will come. A few hundred feet away from Abraham Lincoln, I hope some will take that stroll to his grave site in the pauper's section. Leave a penny on his stone and thank him for his bravery, and for his service. The war was, after all so that he and others would make this a more perfect union for all.

Bounty Records of US Colored Troops, in Arkansas Freedman's Bureau Records P - S

This is the fourth in a series of articles found in the Arkansas Freedman's Bureau offices from the Little Rock Field Office. Previous articles posted in the series have reflected the rare and previously unseen Bounty records of US Colored Troops, and the payments that they received.  I have been amazed to see the variety of regiments from which the soldiers came as many never mustered into Arkansas based regiments. The first article represented surnames beginning with letter A through D. The second article in the series represented surnames beginning with E through I. The third article represented J through O, and this piece represents surnames beginning with P through S.

Note that for those soldiers who were deceased, the next of kin often received the bounty payment.

The source for all images came from Internet Archive.

Polk, Burl - Pearcy, James

Peoples, Green - Parker, Thomas

Qualls, Jackson

Reed, Jackson - Rixley, Alfred

Randall, Chas.,  -  Rodgers, Richard

Rector, Sarah, Widow, - Rogers Johnson

Smiley, Calvin  -  Sweeney, Adam

Stanley, Isaac  -  Smith, Freeman

Squire, Joseph  -   Sandy, Willis

Sewell Ann (Widow) -  Stinson, Adaline (Sister)

TO BE CONTINUED

Bounty Records of US Colored Troops, in Arkansas Freedman's Bureau Records J - O

Cover of page preceding names of soldiers receiving bounty payment

This represents the third in a series of articles found in the Freedman's Bureau offices from the Little Rock Field Office. The names on these pages represent the names of Black Union Soldiers who received Bounty payments. The first article contained surnames beginning with letters A through D. The second article in this series, contained surnames beginning with letters E through I. This article represents surnames J through O. All of the records were found in Record Group 105 and were found from a digitized resource on the Internet Archive, website.

Johnson, Martin - Johnson, Neeley

Record Group 105 Arkansas USCT Bounty Records

Source of Images: Internet Archive

Jackson, Andrew F.  -  Jordan, Pleasant

King, William - Kyer, Frances, Mother of Moses Arbuckle

Lawson, Moses - Lewis, Ephraim

Level, Malinda (Widow of Albert Level) -  Jerome Lewis's grandchildren

Long, Albert - LeFleur, Henry

Marks, Isom  -  Marion, Wm.

Monroe, James  -   Moore, Thornton

McLoure, George - Mills, Jack

McNeal, Dennis - Miller, Calvin

Noal, Thomas - Noal, Claiborne

Long, Albert, -  LeFleur, Henry

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Bounty Records of US Colored Troops, in Arkansas Freedman's Bureau Records E - I

This is a continuation of the names of Black Union soldiers who received bounty payments in Arkansas. The previous article contained surnames A through D. This article will contain surnames E though I. The records were found in Record Group 105 which reflect the many pages of records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. The Field Office from which these records were found were the Little Rock Arkansas Field Office. 

One observation that I made was that the soldiers were from regiments were from multiple states, including Arkansas USCT regiments. I had expected that they might have all been in the same unit, but in this case that was not the situation. It is not clear if Arkansas is where the men happened to have settled, after the war, and thus they applied through the Field office, or what their circumstances might have been.

I also noticed that some of the men received bounty payments as late as 1869. Nevertheless, the list continues and for all interested in documents from post Civil War Arkansas, this ledger is worth researching.

Note that the source of all Images come from the Internet Archive.

Elliott, Abraham - Emerson, Phillip

Source of Images

Ford, Hurd -  Farmer, Sam'l

Frazier, Robt - Foster, Peter

Gaines, George  -   Gordia, George
 

Garnett, Randolph -  Guy, Bristow

Gordan, James (Brother to Lewis Green) - Goodwin, Calvin

Hollus, George - Hayes, Punch

Harding, Zacahariah  -  Haley, Ned

Harris, George  -   Haney, Mary (sister of Giles Hainey)

Hardwick, Anson  -  Hampton, Rachel (widow of Wade Hampton)

Isom & Fanni (Parties of Squire Waters)  -  Ingraham, Charles

To Be Continued

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