Christian Abraham Fleetwood | |
|---|---|
 Christian Fleetwood, as Captain of the Washington Cadet Corps (WCC) | |
| Born | (1840-07-21)July 21, 1840 |
| Died | September 28, 1914(1914-09-28) (aged 74) |
| Place of burial | Columbian Harmony Cemetery, Washington, D.C. |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Branch | U.S. Army (Union Army) Washington Colored National Guard aka Washington Cadet Corps D.C. National Guard |
| Years of service | 1863–1866 1880-1892 |
| Rank |   |
| Unit | 4th Regiment United States Colored Troops, 6th, later 7thBN D.C. National Guard |
| Commands | Washington Cadet Corps (6th, later 7th BN, D.C. National Guard) |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Butler Medal |
| Other work | editor, musician, and politician |
Christian Abraham Fleetwood (July 21, 1840 – September 28, 1914), was anAfrican Americannon-commissioned officer in theUnited States Army, acommissioned officer in theD.C. National Guard, an editor, a musician, and a government official. He received theMedal of Honor for his actions during theAmerican Civil War. He wrote "The Negro As a Soldier" for the Negro Congress at theCotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia held in November 1895.[1]
Fleetwood was born inBaltimore on July 21, 1840, the son of Charles and Anna Maria Fleetwood; both werefree persons of color.[2][3] He established and publishedThe Lyceum Observer, said to be the first newspaper in theUpper South to be owned and operated by an African American.[2][4]
He received his early education in the home of a wealthy sugar merchant and chairman of Baltimore's Chamber of Commerce,John C. Brunes, and his wife. The latter treated Fleetwood like her son and taught him to read and write.[3][4] He continued his education at theMaryland State Colonization Society,[2] went briefly toLiberia andSierra Leone, and graduated in 1860 from Ashmun Institute (later known asLincoln University) inOxford, Pennsylvania.[3]
When theAmerican Civil War disrupted travel by ship to Liberia,[3] Fleetwood went to Baltimore'sCamp Birney[2] formerly called Camp Belger[5] and enlisted into Company G of the4th Regiment United States Colored Infantry,Union Army, on August 11[4] or August 17, 1863.[3] Due to his educated background, Fleetwood was given the rank ofsergeant upon enlistment and was promoted tosergeant major on August 19.[3][4] His regiment, assigned to the 3rd Division, saw service with the 10th, 18th, and 25th Army Corps in campaigns inNorth Carolina andVirginia, particularly on July 16, 1864, in theBattle of Petersburg[6] and on September 29–30, 1864, in theBattle of Chaffin's Farm.[3][6]
On September 29, 1864, the 3rd Division, including Fleetwood's regiment, participated in the Battle of Chaffin's Farm on the outskirts of theConfederate capital ofRichmond, Virginia. During the 4th Regiment's charge on the enemy fortifications, Fleetwood supervised the unit's left flank.[6] Among the charging soldiers was SergeantAlfred B. Hilton, the bearer of two flags, one of which had been seized from a wounded sergeant. When Hilton himself was wounded, Fleetwood and another soldier,Charles Veale, each grabbed a flag from him before the colors could touch the ground. Now carrying theAmerican flag, Fleetwood continued forward under heavy fire until it became clear that the unit could not penetrate the enemy defenses. Retreating to thereserve line, he used the flag to rally a small group of men and continue the fight. For their actions during the battle, Fleetwood, Hilton, and Veale were each issued the Medal of Honor just over six months later, on April 6, 1865. Fleetwood's official Medal of Honor citation reads simply: "Seized the colors, after two color bearers had been shot down, and bore them nobly through the fight."[7][8] The medal is now part of the collection of theSmithsonian'sNational Museum of American History.[9] Sergeant Major Fleetwood's Medal of Honor was donated by his daughter Edith Fleetwood in 1948.[9][10] Fleetwood also won aGeneral B. F. Butler Medal, presumably for his action in the same engagement.[11]
Although every officer of the regiment sent a petition for him to be commissioned an officer, Secretary of WarEdwin Stanton did not recommend an appointment.[3] Fleetwood was honorably discharged from the Army on May 4, 1866.[3] Fleetwood's 1864 service is in part detailed; in a diary, he wrote that year full of entries about his experiences during the war.[12]
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After the war, Fleetwood worked as a bookkeeper inColumbus, Ohio, until 1867 and in several minor government positions in the Freedmen's Bank and War Department in Washington, D.C. With his wifeSara Iredell, whom he married on November 16, 1869, he led an active social life.[3] Sara Iredell's grandmother, Louisa Burr, was the sister of Philadelphia abolitionistJohn (Jean) Pierre Burr and daughter of U.S. vice president,Aaron Burr.[13] Sara's maternal uncle, novelistFrank J. Webb, lived with the couple in Washington[14] in 1870 while writing forFrederick Douglass'New Era.[14] The Fleetwoods had one daughter, Edith.[15] They were well acquainted with most of the prominent African Americans of the period, many of who frequently visited their residence. Members of Washington's black elite society presented Fleetwood with a testimonial in 1889.
In January 1881, Fleetwood was elected Captain of the Washington Colored National Guard, better known asWashington Cadets orWashington Cadet Corps (WCC, not to be confused with theWashington High School Cadets, in which Fleetwood later became involved). At first, the WCC was organized as a single company and commanded by CaptainGeorge D. Graham on June 12, 1880, when Fleetwood joined the corps as a commissioned officer. The WCC expanded to a three-, then four-company-battalion and remained an all-black unit, including its commissioned officers.
On July 18, 1887, the WCC transformed into the 6th Battalion of theDistrict of Columbia Army National Guard (DCNG). Fleetwood organized that battalion and became its commanding officer with the rank of major. The DCNG amalgamated seven battalions with four of them consisting of white members and three of them being "black" theButler Zouaves (organized in 1863), theWashington Cadet Corps (1880), and theCapital City Guards (1882).[16][17] While the Butler Zouaves, was disbanded in 1888, the two remaining black battalions were restricted to two companies each and merged into the newly createdFirst Separate Battalion in 1891.[18] The Butler Zouaves was disassembled by Albert Ordway, a leader of the National Guard, because of his displeasure towards the black regiments.[19] Ordway was unsuccessful at disbanding the other two black units.[19] When Frederick C. Revells from the Capital City Guards was made the new commander, Fleetwood felt passed over himself and resigned shortly afterward, in 1892.[3][20]
Meanwhile, Fleetwood and MajorCharles B. Fisher, who had commanded the Fifth Battalion (Butler Zouaves), were instrumental in organizing theColored High School Cadet Corps of theDistrict of Columbia in 1888. Also known as theWashington High School Cadets (see above), the corps' first company was recruited atM Street High (later to becomeDunbar High School).[21] Fleetwood, the first instructor of the corps, served until 1897 when he was succeeded by Major Arthur Brooks. These two officers developed a tradition of military service among young colored men in Washington which led some of them to enlist inWorld War I and others to be commissioned at theColored Officers Training Camp inFort Des Moines, Iowa.[citation needed]
Fleetwood never returned to active duty with any military organization. However, many residents of the District of Columbia recommended that he be appointed as the Commander of the 50th U.S. Colored Volunteer Infantry during theSpanish–American War. This request was not seriously considered by theWar Department, and the participation of colored soldiers from the District of Columbia was similarly disregarded.[19] It is not known whether Fleetwood's short stature and physical ailments reduced his chances for consideration. His army records state that he was five feet, four and one half inches tall. These records also state that he applied in 1891 for a pension, which he finally received because of "total" deafness in his left ear, the result of "gunshot concussion," and "severe" deafness in his right ear, the result ofcatarrh contracted while in the army. The last monthly pension payment was disbursed in September 1914, by then 24U.S. Dollars. His application also stated that these ailments prevented him from speaking or singing in public.[22]
Before being hampered by his progressing deafness, Fleetwood served for several years as a choirmaster of the 15th Street Presbyterian Church, St. Luke's and St. Mary's Protestant Episcopal Churches, as well as the Berean Baptist Church. Supported by the community, including the wives of former presidents (Lucy Webb Hayes andFrances Folsom Cleveland), his musical presentations were extremely successful.[23]
He died suddenly of heart failure in Washington, D.C., on September 28, 1914, at age 74. Funeral services were held atSt. Luke's Episcopal Church. The interment was inColumbian Harmony Cemetery, Washington, D.C.[24] The First Separate Battalion of D.C. National Guards served as an escort at his funeral. Among the honorarypallbearers were Major Arthur Brooks and such prominent Washingtonians asDaniel Murray,Whitefield McKinlay, and JudgeRobert H. Terrell. The participation by theNational Guard, and by Arthur Brooks in particular, was an appropriate recognition of the most significant aspects of Fleetwood's career.[25] His remains were moved toNational Harmony Memorial Park when Columbia Harmony Cemetery closed in 1959.[26]
Rank and organization: Sergeant Major,4th U.S. Colored Troops, Place and date: AtChapin's Farm, Va., September 29, 1864. Entered service at: unknown. Birth: Baltimore, Maryland. Date of issue: April 6, 1865.[27]
His citations read:
The President presented Sergeant Major Fleetwood the Medal of Honor because of his fearlessness during theChapin's Farm, Virginia battle among his men in the4th U.S. Colored Infantry. Fleetwood had seized the two Color Bearer's colors after they were shot down. He wore them honorably throughout the rest of the fight.[27]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Army Center of Military History.| International | |
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