United States Colored Troops Exh

Narrative by
Ser Seshs Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley
Coordinator, Friends of the Forks of the Roads Society
Natchez, Mississippi

Friends of the Forks of the Roads Society Inc's Fort McPherson Sons and Daughters of United States Colored Troops Chapter at the request of the Mississippi Welcome Center erected an exhibition about the USCT of the Civil War along the Mississippi River. The exhibition was originally installed as part of "Tourism Week" and scheduled to show May 12th through May 19th 2007. The Mississippi Welcome Center is located in the Natchez Visitors Center. Friends of the Forks of the Roads members Ralph Jennings and Pat Gipson using our USCT banner and pictures from Ser Seshs Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley's private collection designed and erected the exhibition.

Ser Boxley entitled the exhibition: In Search of Civil War's Black Freedom Fighters' History and Legacies on the Mississippi A Tourism Self Primer Part of "the Greatest Slave Rebellion in the History of the United States."

The objective of this provocative title was to expose to tourists and others the vast amount of U. S. Colored Troops and Navy sailors history that exist along the Mississippi River as part of the United States Army Mississippi Valley and Gulf Campaign for control of the Mississippi River during the Civil War.

Underlying the particular objective was the intent to expose how tourist and others have been denied the knowledge of the crucial and vast role self-emancipated and USCT emancipated enslaved and non-enslaved African descendants played in United States Army and Navy successful defeat of the separatist Confederate Army thereby gaining control of the Mississippi River. In so doing, Vicksburg was the "key" according to historic quotes of General Grant and President Abraham Lincoln.

From Memphis to the Gulf of Mexico USCT Colored Troops and Navy Sailors as well as civilians were of such vital significance contributing to the success of the United States Control of the Mississippi and cities and territories along its banks. In effect the control of the River cut the separatist and rebelling Confederate States Army in half. The vital supply routes and food supply west of the River were effectively severed and the death knell of the Confederacy slowly crept eastward away from the Mississippi.

Until Mississippi and Louisiana show and tell the whole history of the Civil War tourists and others by searching out The Civil War's black freedom fighters' history and legacies on the Mississippi can find such at Fort Pillow and Memphis Tennessee and St. Helena Arkansas. In Louisiana they can find it at Goodrich Landing, Millikens Bend, Vidalia, Port Hudson, Baton Rouge, Donaldsonville, New Orleans and below New Orleans. In Mississippi they can find it at Vicksburg, Grand Gulf, Port Gipson, Natchez, Woodville, Ship Island and Pascagoula.

It was in the Freedom Summer of 1863 that thousands upon thousands of enslaved and non-enslaved people deliberately abandoned their places of enslavement and oppression (humpty dumpty walls of chattel slavery came tumbling down), the able bodied men ranging from age 15 to 45 intentionally joined the Union Army and Navy becoming freedom fighters and defeaters of their enslaving Confederates in what has been called "the greatest slave rebellion in the history of the United States."

In remembrance of the 144th anniversary of the U. S. Congress passing of legislation reorganizing all freedom fighters of African descent into the Bureau of US Colored Troops except the Navy.

Fort McPherson Sons and Daughters of USCT-Sailors successful obtained permission allowing the USCT exhibition to remain up until May 31, 2007.

This was also done in remembrance of the "30th of May" Decoration Day tradition here in Natchez Mississippi and Vidalia Louisiana where annually for longer than anyone can remember African descent folk march across the River from the Parson Brownlow Grand Army of the Republic Lodge #23 and are joined by folk on the Natchez side. They continue marching on out to the Natchez National Cemetery and conduct ceremony honoring the dead and visit graves of their relatives and friends.

The flag in the banner of the picture accompanying this narrative is reproduction of the flag "Presented to the 5th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Company C by the Colored Citizens of Natchez" during the Civil War. The 5th Heavy Colored Artillery Company C is the full explanation of the statement on the flag.