The Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery

Former U.S. Colored Troops in Alexandria, Alexandria County,
and contiguous areas of Fairfax County, 1890

107th US Colored Infantry Band
Band of the 107th United States Colored Infantry at Fort Corcoran, Alexandria (Arlington) County, 1865.
Library of Congress.

 

The following information is drawn from the special 1890 federal census of Civil War veterans and widows. In addition to Alexandrians, African-American veterans from Alexandria (now Arlington) County have been included, as have former soldiers living in or near parts of Fairfax County that have since been annexed by the City of Alexandria. The census does not distinguish individuals by race; identification has been made either on the basis of their regiment or from entries in the Alexandria city directories of 1888-89 and 1895. Because many of the veterans were not identified by unit, we cannot be certain that all of the African American veterans have been included here or all white veterans excluded (and one black veteran was dropped from the list because he did not serve in the Civil War but was a Buffalo Soldier). Those names below that are marked with an asterisk may not be African Americans. The addresses in brackets have been drawn from the city directories.

Abbreviations used:

Co. = Company

Col. = Colored

Cpl. = Corporal

CT = Connecticut

Inf. = Infantry

MA = Massachusetts

PA = Pennsylvania

P.O. = Post Office

Pvt. = Private

USCI = United Stated Colored Infantry

 

 

Name

Rank

Unit

Dates of service

Address

Disability/Remarks
           

Allen, Henry*

Pvt.

Co. D, 23 USCI?

6/15/63-12/18/65

[719 Jefferson St.], Alexandria

  

Ballard, John W.

  

[USCI]

  

[617 S. Alfred St.], Alexandria

  

Baltimore, Seaten [Caesar?]

      

205 N. Patrick St., Alexandria

  

Bell, ----

(Georgiana, widow of)

      

209 S. West St., Alexandria

  

Bouden, Anderson

Pvt.

Co. B, 8 PA Col. Inf.

11/5/64-1/5/66

222 S. West St., Alexandria

"Mustered out in Texas and paid off in Phila. Pa."

Bowman, Anthony

      

211 Franklin St., Alexandria

  

Buckner, Robert

      

[404 or 412 N.?] Pitt St., Alexandria

  

Carter, Henderson

      

[913 N. Fairfax St.], Across Canal P.O., Alexandria

  

Carter, Henry

Cpl.

Co. B, 29 USCI

12/31/63-11/6/65

[1117 Queen St. or 1213 Cameron St.], Alexandria

  

Carter, Pascal

Cpl.

Co. K, 2 USCI

10/17/63-10/17/66

Washington District, (Falls Church P.O.), Fairfax Co.

  

Collins, Thomas

Pvt.

Co. D,

5/15/64-8/15/65

West End, Fairfax Co.

  

Darnell, Robert

Pvt.

Unassigned Co. A, USCI

9/28/64-7/65

3rd Ward, Alexandria

  

Eighlin, Epreham

Pvt.

Co. A, 23 USCI

6/63-12/65

Government reservation, Arlington P.O., Arlington Co.

"Paralysis f[rom exposure], old and feeble minded"

Foster, George

Pvt.

  [Co. E, 1 USCI]

3/12/63-?/63

[422 N. Patrick St.], Alexandria

"Both feet amputated, frost bitten"

Fox, John

      

408 N. Columbus St., Alexandria

  

Fry, George W.

      

514 N. Pitt St., Alexandria

  

Garnett, ----

(Kate, widow of)

      

Irving Alley, Alexandria

  

Gordon, Elijah

  

[2 USCI]

  

218 S. Henry Street, Alexandria

  

Green, Erastus

Pvt.

Co. G, 1 USCI

6/25/63-9/29/65

Alexandria

  

Greenfield, John R.

Pvt.

    

Braddock Alley, Alexandria

  

Harding (Harden), Alexander

Cpl.

Co. B, 107 USCI

  

[1209 Queen St.], Alexandria

  

Harrod, James [H.]

Cpl.

Co. G, 3 USCI

7/15/63-11/20/65

Vienna, Providence District, Fairfax Co.

  

Hughes, Welson [Wilson]

(Amy, widow of)

  

[USCI]

  

Higgins Alley, Alexandria

  

Johnson, Joseph*

  

29 CT Col. Inf. ?

6/64-4/65

[311 N. Fayette St.], Alexandria

  

Julius, Peter

Pvt.

Co. A, 22 USCI

?/64-?/65

[305 N. St. Asaph St. or 238 N. Henry St.], Alexandria

"Ruptured"

Lewis, John*

(Amy, widow of)

Pvt.

Co. D, 20 USCI?

  

3rd Ward, Alexandria

  

Lewis, Thomas*

      

Lee St., Alexandria

  

Mason, Daniel

      

510 Pendleton St., Alexandria

  

Murray, James

Pvt.

Co. I, 29 USCI

12/13/64-11/6/65

219 S. Pitt St., Alexandria

"Sore eyes"

Payne, William H.

      

312 N. Alfred St., Alexandria

  

Robinson, John

(Cornelia Lomax, widow of)

      

[213 S. West St.], Alexandria

  

Scipio, William H.

(alias William H. Sippy)

Pvt.

Co. C, 1 USCI

6/20/63-7/14/65

[609 S. St. Asaph St. or 628 S. St. Asaph St.], Alexandria

  

Stevenson, Edgar

Cpl.

Co. G, 1 USCI

  

[1110 Princess St.], Alexandria

  

Steward, John*

      

Pitt Street

  

Stewart, William H.

  

[70 USCI?]

  

[426 S.] Lee St., Alexandria

  

Wanzer, Thornton F.

Pvt.

Co. H, 5 MA Col. Cav.

?/64-?/65

Annandale, Falls Church District, Fairfax Co.

"Injured on knee"

Washington, George

  

54 MA Inf.

?/63-4/66

Alexandria

  

Whitley, James

Pvt.

Co. A, 1 USCI

?/64-?/65

Mt. Vernon District, Fairfax Co. (Alexandria P.O.)

  

Freedmen's Cemetery Historical Site Marker - E 109 Freedmen's Cemetery - Federal authorities established a cemetery here for newly freed African Americans during the Civil War. In January 1864, the military governor of Alexandria confiscated for use as a burying ground an abandoned pasture from a family with Confederate sympathies. About 1,700 freed people, including infants and black Union soldiers, were interred here before the last recorded burial in January 1869. Most of the deceased had resided in what is known as Old Town and in nearby rurual settlements. Despite mid-twentieth-century construction projects, many burials remain undisturbed. A list of those interred here has also survived.

Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery
638 North Alfred Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
E-mail: freedmen@juno.com

Freedmen's Cemetery Logo - This logo was designed by Alexandria Archaeology Assistant City Archaeologist, Dr. Steven Shephard, in 2006. The beautifully executed final drawing was made by Alexandria Archaeology volunteer, Mr. Andrew Flora, who made a few modifications. At the center of the logo is a headboard of the design seen in historic photographs of the Alexandria National Cemetery, established at the north end of Wilkes Street in 1862. These grave markers were supplied by the U.S. Army Quartermaster Department in Alexandria and records state that this department also supplied the headboards and coffins for Freedmens Cemetery. The pine boards were whitewashed and the plot number, and presumably, the name of the deceased, and possibly the date of death, were painted in black on the headboard. The number 1864 in the logo represents the year that the cemetery was established. The black silhouette of the African American woman in the center of the board is meant to represent the people, the Freedmen, who were buried at the cemetery. Civilian men, women and many children were buried here, along with African American soldiers of the United States Colored Troops. The rays radiating from the top of the headboard are meant to represent the light of freedom, as well as the souls of the Freedmen ascending into heaven and their final reward. The F and C are for Freedmen's Cemetery. The surrounding broken chain wreath symbolizes the severed bonds of slavery which resulted from the American Civil War which transformed Alexandria and the nation.

April 29th, 2007