Military Richard "Dick" Poplar 1816 to May 22, 1886 A Black Civil War Confederate Soldier Petersburg, Virginia |
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Richard “Dick” Poplar served as a cook for Confederate Company H of the Thirteenth Virginia Calvary, formerly known as the Sussex Light Dragoons, an all Volunteer Virginia Calvary. Members of the Sussex Light Dragoons were wealthy men who took their servants with them to war. Mr. Poplar joined Company H in 1861 and remained attached to it until their retreat from Gettysburg.
Upon their retreat, he and many other confederate soldiers were captured and imprisoned in Fort Delaware. Mr. Poplar was detained for five months and later taken to Point Lookout in Maryland where he was locked up for an additional fourteen months. While imprisoned at Point Lookout, he was offered the opportunity to take the oath of allegiance to the Union and be released. However, he refused and chose to remain loyal to the Confederacy and his friends.
On March 1, 1865, he was released and returned to Petersburg, where he lived the remainder of his life. A short time before his death, Mr. Poplar became ill and was moved into the home of James Muirhead, one of the Confederate soldiers for whom he cooked during the Civil War. Mr. Muirhead provided for Mr. Poplar’s care and well being until his death on May 22, 1886. Article on Black Confederate Participation in the Civil War. Stonewallbrigade.com/articles_black_confeds.
PICTURED: Grave marker of Richard "Dick" Poplar.
INTERRED: Blanford Cemetery, 111 Rochelle Lane, Petersburg, VA 23803. Phone: 804-733-2396. SUBMITTED: September 20, 2009. Picture taken October 18, 2008.
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Buffalo Soldiers Alexandria National Cemetery 1450 Wilkes Street Alexandria, VA 22314 |
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Tuskegee Airman Lt. Colonel Alexander Jefferson Ret. |
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Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated, determined young men from all over the U.S. who volunteered to become America's first Black Military Airmen. Only those who possessed the physical and mental qualifications were accepted into aviation cadet training. Initially the young men were trained to be pilots. Later they were trained to be navigators or bombardiers.
The U.S. Army Air Corps contract was awarded to Tuskegee University due to it having previously invested in the development of an airfield. With funding from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, Moton Field was built, 1940 to 1942. The field was named after Dr. Robert Moton, second President of Tuskegee University. Moton Field was the main flight training location for the Airman. More than 1,000 Black pilots between 1940 to 1946 were trained at Tuskegee.
The Airman who completed the training comprised the all Black, 332nd Fighter Group. It consisted of four fighter squadrons, the 99th, the 100th, the 301st and the 302nd. As a member of the 332nd Fighter Group, Lieutenant Jefferson along with his squadron, escorted B17’s and B24’s from Italy into Germany during Worl War II. On his 19 mission, he was shot down and spent nine moths in Germany as a POW.
The Tuskegee Airman did not lose a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions. Their record is unequalled by any other fighter group. The 332nd Fighter Group was depicted in the movie Tuskegee Airman (1995).
PICTURES: First Row L and R and Second Row L, and R: Presentation given by Lt. Colonel Alexander Jefferson Ret. on November 8, 2009, at Charles Houston Recreation Center in Alexandria, Virginia. Third Row L, Middle and R: Pictures of Tuskegee Airman. Fourth Row L: Black Women Army Corps in Training. Fourth Row R: Members of teh 92nd Infantry. Video: Tuskegee Airman Lt. Colonel Alexander Jefferson Ret.
SUBMITTED: November 16, 2009. Pictures at presentation provided courtesy of Mr. Olvin McBarnette. Pictures taken November 8, 2009.
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NEW West Point Monument Norfolk’s Civil War African American Heritage 238 Princess Anne Road
Norfolk, VA 23510 757-441-2653 |
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Written on the Virginia Civil War Trails history marker are the words: West Point Monument Norfolk’s Civil War African American Heritage The memorial before you, the West Point Monument, was built in 1909 as attribute to African American veterans of the Civil War and Spanish-American War. James A. Fuller, a former slave and veteran of the 1st U.S. Colored Calvary, led the effort to erect this monument. Fuller was Norfolk’s first African American councilman, and he successfully lobbied for the establishment of this section of Elmwood, named West Point as a burial ground for Norfolk’s African American citizens. The cornerstone of the Soldiers, Monument was laid by William Fuller in 1908, however, the monument was not completed until 1920. When the monument was finally unveiled, it was the first memorial to African American soldiers in Virginia. The Civil War soldier depicted on the West Point Monument is Norfolk native Sergeant William H. Carney of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment. While his parents were born slaves, they secured their freedom and left Norfolk with their son for New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1855. Carney enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts 1862, and fought with his regiment during the July 18 1863, attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. When the color bearers were shot down in the failed assault, Carney, despite being severely wounded, managed to save the U.S. flag from capture. “When they saw me bringing in the colors,” Carney recollected, “they cheered me, and I was able to tell them that the old flag never touched the ground.” Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary bravery under fire. He was the first of sixteen African American soldiers to receive the Medal of Honor during the Civil War. Sgt. Carney’s stone figure solemnly stands today as a tribute to the 100 African American veterans at rest in West Point Cemetery. Carney was one of about 200,000 African American soldiers and sailors to serve the Union during the Civil War. The Union could not avoid using African Americans to aid its war effort. Each former slave serving with a weapon or as a laborer lessened the South’s ability to maintain its economy and fight the larger Federal army. Consequently, Congress passed the Militia Act of July 17, 1862, authorizing President Lincoln to organize African Americans “for any military or naval service for which they may have been found competent.” This act coupled with Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, opened the door to African Americans not only seeking their freedom, but also helping to release those still held in bondage. As one former slave wrote: “This was the biggest thing that ever happened in my life, I felt like a man with a uniform on and a gun in my hand. I felt freedom in my bones.” “Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S., let him get an eagle upon his button and a musket on his shoulder… and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States.” – Frederick Douglass
PICTURES: Top Row: West Point Monument. Second Row: Plaques attached to the monument. Third Row: first, second and third picture, plaques attached to the monument. Fourth picture, Virginia Civil War Trail Sign. NEW Names of colored troops buried in West Point Cemetery.
SUBMITTED: March 28, 2010. Pictures taken March 6, 2010.
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Pictures taken and submitted by Percy White unless otherwise indicated. Return to Top African American History, African American Culture, African American Churches, African American Cemeteries, African American Schools, Places of Interest in African American History |