People, Locations, Episodes

The 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry is Formed.

*On this date in 1864, the 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry was formed. This cavalry regiment from Massachusetts served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was organized at Camp Meigs, Readville. From May 12, 1864, it served dismounted and equipped as infantry until the war’s end. The regiment fought […]

Race-Based Land Redistribution in America, a story

*On this date in 1865, land redistribution based on race in America is written about. Since emancipation, there are numerous accounts of seized homes and land belonging to Blacks that whites have taken in America.   This also followed the white colonial Headright Property System practiced during American slavery. For generations, since the 18th century, Black […]

The First Black Woman In America Graduates with a Medical Degree

*On this date in 1864 the first Black woman attained a Medical Degree.

Rebecca Lee Crumpler graduated from the New England Female Medical College on this date. Crumpler worked from 1852-1860 as a nurse in Massachusetts.

The 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment is Formed

*The 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment was organized on this date in 1864.  This infantry regiment served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment was organized at Fair Haven, Connecticut, and mustered under the command of Colonel William B. Wooster. Over 1,200 volunteers were recruited, exceeding the […]

The Fort Pillow Massacre Occurs

This date marks the anniversary of the Fort Pillow Massacre in 1864. The Fort Pillow Massacre occurred during the American Civil War.

The action stemmed from Southern outrage at the North’s use of Black soldiers. From the beginning of hostilities, the Confederate leadership was faced with the question of whether to treat Black soldiers captured in battle as slaves in insurrection or, as the Union insisted, as prisoners of war. This conflict happened at Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River in Henning, Tennessee.

Fort Pocahontas, a story

*On this date, in 1864, the construction of Fort Pocahontas began. This was an earthen fort on the north bank of the James River at Wilson’s Wharf in Charles City County, Virginia, which served as a Union supply depot during the American Civil War. The fort was constructed by Black soldiers of the United States Colored […]

The American Congress Legislates Equal Pay To Black Soldiers

*On this date in 1864, Congress passed the enrollment Act that authorized equal pay for Black soldiers.

The 12th Regiment, Heavy Artillery U.S. Colored Troops is Formed

*The 12th Regiment Heavy Artillery U.S. Colored Troops was formed on this date in 1864. It was one of 175 regiments of African American men during the American Civil War. Kentucky was the last state to accept Black men into their army during the war. In February 1864, 400 men wanted to enlist, and Col. Andrew […]

The Reconstruction Era in America, a story

On this date we remember Reconstruction, the historic period that began during and after the American Civil War.

The War Of The Triple Alliance Begins

*On this date, in 1864, the War of the Triple Alliance began. Also known as the Paraguayan War it was a South American war fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. A conflict of race and class, it was the deadliest and bloodiest inter-state war in Latin America’s history. It […]

The 5th United States Colored Cavalry is Formed

*The 5th United States Colored Cavalry (5th USCC) was formed on this date in 1864. They were a regiment of the United States Colored Troops during the American Civil War. They were one of the more notable black fighting units. They were officially organized in Kentucky after their first two battles. Colonel James Brisbin commanded […]

Massacre at Ebenezer Creek, a story

*The Massacre at Ebenezer Creek on this date in 1864. During the American Civil War, hundreds of Black families who had just escaped slavery were left to drown by Union General Jeff. C. Davis. In November 1864, Union General William T. Sherman heard of atrocities at Camp Lawton, a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp near Millen, Georgia. […]

‘Forty Acres and a Mule’, a story

On this day in 1865, General William T. Sherman issued a special field order that would have provided each African American family 40 acres of land and an army mule to work the land.

In the midst of his “March to the Sea” during the Civil War, General Sherman and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton met with 20 black community leaders of Savannah, Georgia.

The First Black Attorney Practices Before the Supreme Court

*On this date in 1865, John Rock became the first African American attorney to practice before the Supreme Court.

Rock was formerly a dentist and justice of the peace in Boston.

The Freedmen’s Bureau Is Formed

*This date celebrates the Freedmen’s Bureau. During the Reconstruction period, after the American Civil War (1865-72), the U.S. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was established by Congress to provide practical aid to 4,000,000 newly freed Black Americans in their transition from slavery to freedom.