Lincoln Cemetery
Walking Tour Stop 21
Lincoln Cemetery is the final resting place for at least forty African American Civil War veterans, representing the famous 54th and 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiments, 5th Massachusetts Cavalry, 7th, 31st, 39th and the 44th Regiment. Included in this number are the following U.S. Colored Troops Regiments that were trained at Camp William Penn, located outside of Philadelphia, at LaMott, Pa.: 8th, 22nd, 25th, 32nd, 43rd and 127th.
The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was the first African American Regiment in the United States Army; raised by the Governor of Massachusetts soon after the Emancipation Proclamation. At least five veterans buried here served with the 54th and one served with the 55th. These veterans fought in the battle of Fort Wagner in South Carolina. "This battle made Fort Wagner such a name to the black race as Bunker Hill has been to the Yankees." (New York Tribune).
The following World War I veterans were buried in the Lincoln Cemetery: William Mason, William Strange, and Byron L. Taylor.
Courtesy hmdb.org
