North Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Two USCT Heroes
Freedom in Their Bones
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, July 20, 2013
1. Two USCT Heroes CWT Marker
Inscription.
Two USCT Heroes. Freedom in Their Bones. Two African American Civil War veterans, Pvt. Edward Diggs and Sgt. Anthony W. Poole, are buried here. Each enlisted in Co. G, 36th U.S. Colored Troops, in Yorktown. Blacks sought to enlist earlier in the war but were banned until after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863. About 200,000 served under the Stars and Stripes. A former slave wrote, “I felt like a man with a uniform on and a gun in my hand. I felt freedom in my bones.”, Black recruits, mostly escaped slaves from eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, formed the regiment. Poole (born in Surry County on August 30, 1845) enlisted and was appointed sergeant on October 3, 1863. Diggs (born in James City County in January 1845) enlisted as a private on October 5. The 36th guarded Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, Maryland, and then fought around Petersburg and Richmond. On September 29, 1864, Poole was wounded in action as the regiment captured the Confederate lines at the base of New Market Heights east of Richmond. On April 3, 1865, the 36th was among the first regiments to enter the city. The 36th was ordered to Brazos Santiago at the southern tip of Texas on the Gulf of Mexico. En route, at Fort Monroe, Poole was discharged on June 3, 1865. Diggs was discharged in New Orleans on October 28, 1866., Poole, a widower, died on September 12, 1912. Diggs received a pension in 1890. His wife, Susan, received a widow’s pension in 1914 after he died., “Once let a the black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S., let him get an eagle on his shoulders and bullets in his pocket and there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States.” – Frederick Douglass, (captions) , Unknown U.S. Colored Troops sergeant Courtesy Library of Congress , Unknown U.S. Colored Troops soldier with family Courtesy Library of Congress
Two African American Civil War veterans, Pvt. Edward Diggs and Sgt. Anthony W. Poole, are buried here. Each enlisted in Co. G, 36th U.S. Colored Troops, in Yorktown. Blacks sought to enlist earlier in the war but were banned until after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863. About 200,000 served under the Stars and Stripes. A former slave wrote, “I felt like a man with a uniform on and a gun in my hand. I felt freedom in my bones.”
Black recruits, mostly escaped slaves from eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, formed the regiment. Poole (born in Surry County on August 30, 1845) enlisted and was appointed sergeant on October 3, 1863. Diggs (born in James City County in January 1845) enlisted as a private on October 5. The 36th guarded Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, Maryland, and then fought around Petersburg and Richmond. On September 29, 1864, Poole was wounded in action as the regiment captured the Confederate lines at the base of New Market Heights east of Richmond. On April 3, 1865, the 36th was among the first regiments to enter the city. The 36th was ordered to Brazos Santiago at the southern tip of Texas on the Gulf of Mexico. En route, at Fort Monroe, Poole was discharged on June 3, 1865. Diggs was discharged in New Orleans on October 28, 1866.
Poole,
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a widower, died on September 12, 1912. Diggs received a pension in 1890. His wife, Susan, received a widow’s pension in 1914 after he died.
“Once let a the black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S., let him get an eagle on his shoulders and bullets in his pocket and there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States.” – Frederick Douglass
(captions)
Unknown U.S. Colored Troops sergeant Courtesy Library of Congress
Unknown U.S. Colored Troops soldier with family Courtesy Library of Congress
Location. 37° 7.232′ N, 76° 31.363′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in North Newport News. Marker can be reached from Campbell Road, 0.1 miles north of Warwick Boulevard (U.S. 60), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3628 Campbell Rd, Newport News VA 23602, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured
5. Unidentified African American soldier in Union sergeant uniform holding a rifle
Library of Congress [LC-DIG-ppmsca-27058]
circa 1863
6. Unidentified African American soldier in Union uniform with wife and two daughters
Library of Congress [LC-DIG-ppmsca-26454]
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 21, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,198 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 21, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.