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Edwin's Forbe's depiction of the long pursuit from Gettysburg. Who knew a small part in the departure of Lee's army from Northern soil would be played by a black civilian?
We have a statue to civilian combatant John Burns, his civilian combatant brother in law Andrew Hagerman lost his life shouldering a rifle defending Hagerstown. Civilians pitching in during the summer of July, 1863 are great stories- missed this one. Saved a snip from a Hathitrust book, with a note " Randolph Johnson, African American Civilian ". Problem is, lost the book title so have no clue what soldier from which regiment is speaking.
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1860 census for Gettysburg contains the Johnson family, ' mulatto ', Upton, Rebecca, Dorson, Randolf and Charles S. Randolph is described in his tavern application as ' colored '; census lists as mulatto.
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Randolph applied for and was granted a tavern license in 1867, so an active member of the community. The Johnsons seem involved in their church, civil groups and Randolph seems irked by the invasion, July 1863. Hazardous, a black citizen remaining in town during the invasion much less picking up a gun!
Does anyone know anything more of Randolph, please? 22 at the time, seems a little likely he or his brothers ended up USCT.
A soldier by this name enlisted and mustered as a Sergeant at Camp Nelson Kentucky on 7/14/1864, into Company K U.S.C.T. 116th Infantry.
UNITED STATES COLORED TROOPS.
116th REGIMENT INFANTRY.
Organized at Camp Nelson, Ky., June 6 to July 12, 1864. Attached to Military District
of Kentucky, Dept. of the Ohio, to September, 1864. Unattached, 10th Corps, Army of the
James, to November, 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 10th Corps, to December, 1864.
1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 25th Corps, to April, 1865. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division,
25th Corps and Dept. of Texas, to September, 1866.. Dept. of the Gulf to January, 1867.
SERVICE.-Duty at Camp Nelson till September, 1864. Defence of Camp Nelson and Hickman's
Bridge against Forest's attack. Ordered to join Army of the James in Virginia, reporting
to General Butler September 27. Duty at City Point, Va., till October. Moved to Deep.
Bottom October 23. Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond October 23, 1864,
to April 2, 1865. Operations on north side of the James River before Richmond October
27-28, 1864. Fatigue duty at Deep Bottom, Dutch Gap and in trenches before Richmond
till March, 1865. Moved to Hatcher's Run March 27-28. Appomattox Campaign
March 28-April 9. Boyd- ton Road, Hatcher's Run, March 29-31. Fall of Petersburg April 2.
Pursuit of Lee April 3-9. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his
army. Duty at Petersburg till May 25. Embarked at City Point, Va., for Texas May 25,
arriving, at Brazos Santiago June 22. March to White's Ranch June 24. Duty at Rome,
Texas, till February, 1866. In Sub-District, Lower Rio Grande, till September, 1866,
and at New Orleans, La., till January, 1867.
Mustered out at Louisville, Ky., January 17, 1867.
Frederick A. Dyer "A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" vol. 3