United States Colored Troops Memorial

It all started when…

A veterans group in Queen Anne’s County known as the Centreville Veterans Information Center (CVIC) commissioned artist Tilghman Hemsley to create a public sculpture depicting a Black Civil War soldier, representing those African Americans from Queen Anne’s County — both free and enslaved — who fought bravely and valiantly as part of the United States Colored Troops. Historian Chris Pupke estimates that the County’s enslaved soldiers numbered more than 435 men who fought for their freedom and for the future of their country.

Veterans Honoring Veterans

In initiating this project, the Centreville Veterans Information Center emphasized their intent to honor fellow veterans who have been overlooked for too long. Established in 1863, the United States Colored Troops (USCT) participated in almost every major Union Army campaign during the last two years of the war. By that time, nearly 179,000 men had served in 175 USCT regiments, in infantry, artillery, and cavalry units. Nearly 8,700 of those men were from Maryland. More than 435 men were from Queen Anne’s County.

Some Historical Context

Just one year before the Civil War began, nearly half of Queen Anne’s County’s population was African-American. From the 1860 census records, we know that 2,189 males were enslaved, and 1,650 males were free. Slaveholders were typically compensated $300 when the men they enslaved enlisted in the Union Army. In exchange, the enlisted soldiers themselves were set free.

The majority of USCT soldiers from Queen Anne’s County served in the 19th, 7th, and 39th regiments.

More than 125 men from Queen Anne’s County were enlisted in the 7th Regiment of the USCT and trained at Camp Stanton in Charles County and fought on the barrier islands from Hilton Head to Jacksonville, and at the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm in Virginia. There, when two regiments of white troops, numbering 1,400 men, failed to capture Fort Gilmer, four companies of the 7th USCT, numbering 250 men, were ordered to storm the fort. According to Colonel James Shaw Jr.’s report:  “Not a man faltered, but all who did not fall reached the work, charged boldly, and did all in their power to take it. They are all missing.”  Of the 31 men from Queen Anne’s County who charged the fort, only three returned unscathed.

The Artist’s Vision

Tilghman Hemsley set out to create a public sculpture that educates and inspires today’s generation to better understand the service and sacrifice of African Americans who fought during the Civil War. As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026, the artist embraced this project that recognizes the historical significance of the United States Colored Troops in preserving the Union and ending slavery.

For USCT soldiers, their military service represented a path to freedom from slavery and hope for a better future. The artist’s depiction of the Black soldier communicates courage, resilience, and that sense of self-respect that comes with fighting for a cause greater than oneself. The juxtaposition of weapons of war with instruments of peace not only mirrors the Queen Anne’s County Seal (incorporating a sword and a staff of wheat), but also speaks to the courage and the humanity of those members of the United States Colored Troops being honored by their fellow veterans of the twenty-first century.

Upon completion, the sculpture will stand approximately 6 and a half feet tall, and rest upon a 28-inch granite base.  A front panel will tell the story of the Queen Anne’s County heroes represented here in bronze, and three side panels will be inscribed with the names of those United States Colored Troops veterans identified thus far from Queen Anne’s County.