Although small in stature, Brown was a giant in Company F of the 108th U.S. Colored Infantry. His fighting spirit outweighed any physical limitations he might have had. He “does his duty—shaming larger men,” wrote the same company officer.
Tag Archives: Ronald S. Coddington
Biographical Profile of Pvt. Lewis Chapman
Lewis Chapman tended his enslaver’s fields on a farm near Munfordville, strategically located along a railroad and a vital federal supply line that ran into middle Tennessee. He probably glimpsed his first Union soldiers in late 1861…
Biographical Profile of Sgt. Charles English
In the summer of 1864, Charley left his family and enlisted in the 108th Infantry, without the consent of his enslaver. Two days later he became a sergeant and added chevrons to his uniform coat sleeves to designate his rank.
Biographical Profile of Corp. Jacob Finley
According to Sgt. Taylor, Finley “received an injury in his bowels. He was sent to hospital and remained about two weeks. When he came out he was excused from but would insist on doing duty” despite constant abdominal pain.
Biographical Profile of Pvt. Abram Garvin
In June 1864, Abram traveled about seventy-five miles north to Louisville and joined the Union army with his enslaver’s consent. He soon received his sergeant’s stripes and assumed a leadership role in Company F.
Biographical Profile of Sgt. Alfred Jackson
Jackson had left his job as an army teamster two months earlier and enlisted. Soon afterward, half the regiment, including Jackson and his company, traveled to Owensboro, where the reported slaughter occurred.
Biographical Profile of Corp. Henry Lively
Many became sick, including Lively, who fell ill with malaria. The chronic fever and chills symptomatic of the disease took many men out of action, but not Henry. He remained in the ranks despite his infirmity.
Biographical Profile of Pvt. George Davis Long
The beginning of the end of the military service of Dave Long can be traced to a single march. “We went double quick,” he remembered of the journey. He fell ill with fever and diarrhea and was admitted to the post hospital at Meridian.
Biographical Profile of Pvt. Charles Mudd
The formerly enslaved private, who had labored in his enslaver’s fields about sixty-five miles away in Washington County, joined the newly formed 108th U.S. Colored Infantry without his enslaver’s consent.
Biographical Profile of Corp. Wilson Weir
Wilson Weir left his home in Greenville, Kentucky, and joined the Union army with the knowledge and consent of his enslaver, Edward Weir, who, despite owning human beings, supported emancipation.