A salute to black Civil War soldiers
One man is making it his mission to educate people on the impact of black soldiers during the Civil War
February 4, 2016
By New York Public Library, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
By Bruce Posten
Reading Eagle, Pa.
Joe Becton of Philadelphia, a retired National Park Service ranger, believes it is important to highlight the heroic black lives that mattered in the historical quest for freedom.
"Our goal is to get to the truth about those who fought in the Civil War and World War II and also battled segregation after the wars," Becton said. "These were the folks who helped to define what freedom is."
Becton, 63, is a representative of the Union's Third Infantry Regiment, a re-enactor group of about 20 members depicting the real black regiment of enlisted soldiers formed shortly before the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
As part of the observance of Black History Month in February, Becton and a few others in his group will present the free interpretive educational program "The African-American Soldiers in the Civil War" on Feb. 21 at 2:30 p.m. at the Central Pennsylvania African American Museum, 119 N. 10th St.
Becton, who earned two associate degrees in social work and social science from Reading Area Community College (1975-77), went on to pursue his passion for history by earning a bachelor's degree at the University of West Florida, Pensacola. He also enrolled in summer history courses offered at Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
For 20 years, he served as a National Park Service ranger at a variety of sites, including Valley Forge, Independence Hall and a Revolutionary War encampment in Morristown, N.J.
"We do some 50 programs a year," Becton said, "And we have been very busy, especially in the past few years with the 150th commemoration of the Civil War."
Becton said Berks County and Reading have a rich African-American history, particularly in connection with the Underground Railroad, the route to freedom for enslaved blacks.
Berks County also provided work for freed blacks drawn to area iron plantations and was an area that drew supporters of the 19th century Abolitionist movement.
"Some of our members are descendants of the Third Regiment, but not all are," Becton said. "For instance, I've found it difficult to find a connection to a Civil War ancestor."
Becton's mission is educating the public about the role of blacks in the Civil War, both in the North and the South.
"More than 200,000 Africans served the Union during the Civil War as soldiers, doctors, chaplains and in support roles," he said. "In the South, blacks did everything from serving as cooks, horse managers, fort builders and gravediggers."
He said 37,000 blacks were either wounded, were killed or died of disease during the Civil War.
https://www.military1.com/history-1/article/1579454014-a-salute-to-black-civil-war-soldiers
