Hyattsville in Prince George's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Christian A Fleetwood
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, April 19, 2014
1. Christian A Fleetwood Marker
Sergeant Major 4th US Colored Troops
Civil War
1840 † 1914
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Medal of Honor Recipients series list.
Location. 38° 54.522′ N, 76° 52.782′ W. Marker is in Hyattsville, Maryland, in Prince George's County. Memorial can be reached from Sheriff Road. Marker is in the National Harmony Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7101 Sheriff Road, Hyattsville MD 20785, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Thomas R Hawkins (here, next to this marker); Osborne Perry Anderson (here, next to this marker); Elizabeth Keckly (a few steps from this marker); Veterans Memorial (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); This Memorial Honors Philip Reed (approx. 0.2 miles away); Marvin F. Wilson Stadium (approx. 0.6 miles away); Development at the Wilson Farm Site (approx. ¾ mile away); History of the Wilson Farm (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hyattsville.
Also see . . .
1. Christian Fleetwood. Civil War Trust website entry:
Sergeant Major, July 21, 1840- September 28, 1914 (Submitted on June 19, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
this page online
2. Diary of Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood. Excerpts, National Humanities Center. (Submitted on June 19, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
3. The Negro as Soldier. Internet Archive website entry:
by Christian A. Fleetwood, 1895. (Submitted on June 19, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, April 19, 2014
2. Christian A Fleetwood Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, April 19, 2014
3. Resolution
Be it hereby known to all that The State Senator of the 24th District offers his sincerest congratulations to Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood, Fourth U.S. Colored Infantry. The entire legislative team extends best wishes on this memorable occasion and directs this resolution be presented on this 26th day of May 1997. Decatur W. Trotter
State Senator
from a display in the Harmony Memorial Park Office
State Senator
from a display in the Harmony Memorial Park Office
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, April 19, 2014
4. Biography
Sergeant Major Christian A. Fleetwood, newspaper editor, government official and musician, was born July 21 1840, at Baltimore Maryland, to free parents of African Descent. The Protégé of an affluent sugar merchant, he traveled to Liberia and Sierra Leone as secretary of the Maryland Colonization Society and graduated from Pennsylvania's Ashmun Institute (which later became Lincoln University) in 1860. He co-published the upper South's first Black newspaper, the Lyceum Observer, before enlisting as a sergeant in Company G, Fourth Regiment, United States Colored Infantry, during the
American Civil War. He quickly advanced to regimental sergeant major and saw extensive battle action in North Carolina and Virginia. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for valor a the Battle of Chaffin's Farm, New Market Heights, Virginia, on September 29, 1864. Despite his indisputable qualifications, his nomination to become a commissioned officer was rejected because of his race, and he left the army on May 4, 1866. After the war he became a prominent member of Washington, D. C.'s Black community. Among his many distinctions was advancement to the command of the Sixth Battalion of the District of Columbia National Guard with the rank of major in 1887. In 1888 he and Major Charles B. Fisher organized the Districts Colored High School Cadet Corps, and Fleetwood became its first instructor. While working in various minor positions in the civil government, he was active in church activities and renowned as one of the city's finest choirmasters. He died September 28, 1914, and was buried at Harmony Cemetery at its Rhode Island Avenue location, Washington D. C. from a display in the Harmony Memorial Park Office
Photographed By William Morris Smith, 1865
5. Officers of 4th U.S. Colored Infantry at Fort Slocum
Photographed By William Morris Smith, 1865
6. Christian A. Fleetwood
Detail showing Sergeant Major Fleetwood wearing the Medal of Honor.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 17, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 19, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 635 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 19, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
