Lincoln Cemetery

Lincoln Cemetery. "Without them the war could not have been won".

"Without the military help of the black freedmen, the war against the south could not have been won." , Abraham Lincoln

, The ground in front of you includes the final resting places of nearly 30 Black veterans of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), men who volunteered to fight for the Union and for their freedom during Civil War., Most of the men enlisted between the fall of 1863 and the spring of 1864. Some saw hard action; David Stevens was badly wounded in the fighting around Petersburg, Virginia, and Isaac Buckmaster and John W. Watts were wounded during the costly Battle of Olustee, Florida, on February 20, 1864, when men dropped "like leaves in autumn.", When these veterans passed away, they were "segregated in death", separated from their white comrades who lay in the Soldiers' National Cemetery. Today they rest here alongside their friends, neighbors, and loved ones, concrete evidence of a vibrant Black community that has existed in Gettysburg since decades before the Civil War., (captions) , More than 450 Black Americans are buried in Lincoln Cemetery. The numbers on the map show the identified burial locations of Civil War veterans., Lloyd F.A. Watts (1835-1918) of the 24th USCT was a public school teacher, church minister, and respected community leader. His brother John was wounded at Olustee, Florida., Nelson F. Mathews (1842-1910) of the 127th USCT was a farmer whose family aided escaped slaves through Adams County on the Underground Railroad. All photos courtesy Adams County Historical Society, John Edward Hopkins 0843-1890) at the 25th USCT was a cook and accomplished outdoorsman. He went on to become the first black elected official in Gettysburg., Civil War Veterans Buried in Lincoln Cemetery , 1 George Bolen, 24th USCT , 2 Isaac Buckmaster, 8th USCT , 3 William Burley, 22nd USCT , 4 Isaac W. Carter, 127th USCT , 5 Joseph Craig, 22nd USCT , 6 John Disnick, 41st USCT , 7 Charles S. Hill, 127th USCT , 8 George Hillman, 30th USCT , 9 John Edward Hopkins, 25th USCT , 10 Francis Jackson, 3rd USCT , 11 William L. Jackson, 32nd USCT , 12 Nelson F. Mathews, 127th USCT , 13 J. Thomas McCullough, 32nd USCT , 14 Richard Henry Monroe 32nd USCT , 15 John T Redding, 22nd USCT , 16 Samuel Asbury Reed, 43rd USCT , 17 Nelson Royer, 25th USCT , 18. Alexander Scott, 25th USCT , 20 Samuel Matthew Stanton, Sr., 3rd USCT , 21 David J Stevens, 22nd USCT , 22 William A Thompson, 25th USCT , 23 Joseph Turner, 25th USCT , 24 George W. Wagner, 127th USCT , 25 John W. Watts, 8th USCT , 26 Lloyd Francis Asbury Watts, 24th USCT , 27 John Wilson, 165th USCT, Buried Here, But Grave Locations are Unknown , Emanuel Craig, 24th USCT , William H. Mathews, 127th USCT, Lincoln Cemetery was originally known as "Good Will Cemetery" when it was established in 1867.