Bronze Statue To Honor QA United States Colored Troops To Be Installed

With the approach of the country’s 250th anniversary of its founding, a group of veterans in Queen Anne’s County is committed to rectifying a critical gap in the understanding of our nation’s history by recognizing those free and formerly enslaved African Americans whose military service during the Civil War helped preserve the Union and put an end to slavery. In fighting for their personal freedom and that of their families, these soldiers helped to pave the way for future advancements in civil rights and integrated military service. Black veterans, who proved their mettle in combat, returned home empowered to become leaders in their communities.

In their honor, the Queen Anne’s County Veterans Committee (a subcommittee of CVIC, the Centreville Veterans Information Center) has partnered with local artist Tilghman Hemsley, and with Chesapeake Charities as its fiscal sponsor, to create a bronze statue that will stand atop a stone monument engraved with the names of each of the 480 soldiers from Queen Anne’s County identified thus far. The statue will be erected at the Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center, which is housed in the renovated African American High School in Centreville.

Chris Pupke, a local historian who has conducted extensive research into the United States Colored Troops, believes there may have been as many as 600 Black men from the county who enlisted. But their military service has been largely overlooked. His presentations to the Kennard Alumni Association, the CVIC, the Queen Anne’s County Commissioners, and various community groups have sparked great interest in a project intended to provide tangible, long-overdue recognition for the valor and service of these brave men. CVIC established the Queen Anne’s County Veterans Committee (QACVC) to create a public monument honoring their fellow veterans.

The majority of USCT soldiers from Queen Anne’s County served in the 19^th, 7^th, and 39^th  regiments. More than 125 men from Queen Anne’s County were enlisted in the 7^th Regiment of the USCT, 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 7^th 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.

Artist Tilghman Hemsley’s vision for the commemorative bronze sculpture is a figure of a soldier standing six and a half feet tall, atop a flared granite base that will be engraved with the names of the USCT soldiers identified thus far. The soldier is dressed in a Union Army uniform, posed in an active stand that communicates strength and compassion. One hand holds a Springfield Model 1861 rifle; with the other hand, the soldier offers a canteen of water to a fallen comrade. Depicted as a battle draws to a close, the soldier is resolute, his gaze fixed on the future. His bare feet illustrate the Union’s supply shortages and the personal suffering borne by Black Union soldiers.

The QACVC has raised nearly $100,000 toward a $300,000 goal, which they expect to meet by July 2026. To make a gift, checks should be written to the United States Colored Troops Memorial Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 42, Centreville, MD 21617. Online gifts through Chesapeake Charities donor portal https://chesapeakecharities.org/fund/u-s-colored-troops-memorial-fund/ are subject to a small processing fee.

To learn more about the project, please reach out to John Wright, chairman of the QACVC, at 410-443-7686, or visit the artist’s website, https://www.tilghmanhemsleyfinearts.com/usct-memorial