'They chose to serve': United States Colored Troops members honored at City Cemetery
"They were not drafted. They did not have to serve. They chose to serve," Bill Lewis, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, said of the Black Civil War veterans buried in City Cemetery. "They all intentionally said, 'I want to join the U.S. Army' and with that, in many cases, they signed up for what could have been, or what was, a death sentence."
Among those who were mentioned during the ceremony were Henry Brown, a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and Moses Morris, who served in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, an all-Black regiment in the Union Army. The 54th Massachusetts is notably portrayed in the 1989 film "Glory."
Lewis pointed out the intrigue behind a 54th Massachusetts veteran being recruited from Wilkes-Barre.
"Why would they come to Wilkes-Barre — a little town in the 1860s — to find soldiers? Well, they found them."
Will Conyngham, president of the Luzerne County Historical Society, pointed out that the unit recruited servicemen from as far away as Canada and speculated that this widened search for soldiers may have likewise extended to Wilkes-Barre.
Tim Hodge, a living historian dressed in full period costume, placed a wreath at Morris' gravesite.
An estimated 196 Civil War veterans are buried in City Cemetery, and veterans of other wars rest there as well. Lewis described the Civil War soldiers who are buried there as "true heroes and true patriots" before extending his gratitude to all departed service members.
"This is truly a field of glory for all the veterans and all the folks who are buried here, but most especially for the Civil War soldiers who contributed so much."
The USCT veterans remained the main focus of Thursday's ceremony. Lewis suggested that someone from the public should identify each Civil War veteran buried in City Cemetery and compile their stories. In the case of the USCT members, that story includes volunteering to fight and remaining in danger even after the war had ended. Conyngham acknowledged the added stakes of the Civil War for USCT members, considering the war was essentially fought over the abolition of slavery.
"Many of these veterans, they were fighting to preserve the union. These guys were fighting to save their lives, not just on the battlefield," Conyngham asserted.
On Thursday evening, an event was held at the Westmoreland Club Grand Hall. There, Hodge remained in costume while portraying Captain Robert Smalls, a historical figure who was born into slavery but later freed himself through his efforts during the Civil War.
Entertainment was provided at the evening event by the Soulful Springs Gospel Choir.
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Some were married, some were from urban areas, etc. This supports what I generally see in the classroom. On average, Black mothers are more likely to push their sons when they are athletes. In relation to this mindset, mothers push their daughters so hard because of the same belief, men will fail you. Black women have to be successful, independent, and educated to conquer the world. Men raised by those same parents enter the world with only the goal of surviving and staying out of trouble. Sadly, in many situations, this mindset hurts everyone. Once they grow up, many of these successful daughters are expected to raise these sons, who were never raised by their mothers. Despite my claims here, every situation is different. This isn't an indictment on how anyone is raising their children. I also need to point out while doing research, I saw some pretty negative comments, especially toward Black women. I'm relatively certain those people just look for any reason to attack Black women because the comments didn't relate to the actual topic. To be clear, this is about Black people, and people in general, as a whole. I encourage people to join the conversation, but please keep your unrelated hatred to yourself. Motherhood is hard. They are expected to be perfect and receive most of the blame whenever something goes wrong. In comparison, fathers are rewarded for doing the bare minimum. (Have you ever seen a father go to the grocery store with the kids?) Mothers usually do the best they can with the tools they receive. I doubt any mother is consciously favoring their sons, especially if they understand how it may impact them in adulthood. Hopefully, this works as another tool, something to consider while navigating the most difficult job in the world. This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of LG Ware's work on Medium. 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