![]() He was being treated for “chronic rheumatism,” according to a naval hospital log. There is a Peter Beasley, who was born in Christian County and spent time in a Memphis hospital in November 1864. And then I found a hospital record that appears to confirm my suspicion. (Library of Congress photo)įor example, I suspected that Beseley was not the correct spelling of this sailor’s last name. At least one Black sailor from Christian County served on Silver Lake. ![]() USS Silver Lake, a steam-power gunboat, at anchor on a river during the Civil War, date and location unknown. The scarcity of public records and newspaper accounts for Black Americans is true for those in all walks of life, whether they served in the military or worked as tradesmen, sharecroppers, midwives or laborers. It is not an easy task to learn more about each man’s life before the war, how they fared in the Navy, and what became of them after the war. Each entry for a sailor of African descent provides a few biographical details, a military rank, which ships they served on, and how long they remained in service. RELATED: After enslavement: Christian County stories of survivalīut Beseley’s entry illustrates a common thread that runs through the stories of all of these Black sailors.At least 10 were from Christian County - and of those Beseley was the oldest. There were a little more than 400 Kentuckians in the group. Navy during the Civil War, the Black Sailors Research Project determined. ![]() He said he was a farmer, according to military records that went virtually unstudied until a couple of decades ago when Howard University led a research project with the Department of the Navy and the National Park Service to explore the contributions of Black Union sailors during the Civil War.īeseley is one among roughly 18,000 Black men who served in the U.S. ![]() It appears he enlisted at Johnsonville, Tennessee. On July 2, 1864, Peter Beseley, a 40-year-old Black man who said he came from Christian County, Kentucky, joined the United States Navy. This week’s feature looks at the military service of 10 men from Christian County who enlisted in the U.S. This is the second installment in a four-part Black History Month series. ![]()
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