Black Civil War soldiers to be honored with 7-foot bronze monument

The Militia Act, passed by Congress in 1862, allowed free Black men and formerly enslaved men to fight for the U.S. during the Civil War. These soldiers, part of the U.S. Colored Troops, made up one-tenth of the fighting forces for the Union Army.

Now, 160 years later, 70 Black Union military members who fought in the Civil War from 1863 to 1865 will be memorialized in a monument planned for Rocky Mount in Franklin County, Virginia, where the 69 soldiers and one sailor were born.

The proposal started when Virginia Tech's Monument Across Appalachian Virginia project was awarded money funded by the Mellon Foundation to support initiatives in western and southwest Virginia. Raising the Shade, Franklin County 1850-1910 -- one of nine projects awarded grants -- is sponsored by the Franklin County NAACP and aims to expand the work of researcher Glenna Moore. She started looking into Franklin County's Black veterans in 2020.

At the start of her research, Moore said she had only found three soldiers born in Franklin County, but later discovered 70 men who fought as part of the U.S. Colored Troops. She noted that, in 1965, she was among 14 students chosen to move to a newly built junior high school where the teachers didn't look like her.

"We were one of the only Black students and were never taught we fought for ourselves," Moore told ABC News.

She said she would have felt empowered if she had learned about the U.S. Colored Troops in her youth.

"I wish I could tell my 13-year-old self -- sitting in that history class as the only Black student, being taught the Lost Cause myth -- that one day, you will uncover the powerful history of the USCT soldiers," she said.

To gain deeper insight, Moore, along with the project’s USCT Ancestry Committee and Virginia Tech students, collaborated with the National Archives and the African American Civil War Museum in Washington, D.C.

Once the research was solidified, Raising the Shade -- managed by the Franklin County NAACP -- brought together members and engaged community participants in uncovering more about African Americans' significant role in the Civil War and educating others through interactive presentations, a community listening session and an educational forum.

Another key aspect of Raising the Shade was the construction of a monument to honor and commemorate the soldiers. But there was a problem: they needed to find a location. According to Franklin County NAACP President Eric Anspaugh, once the grant application was submitted, the town council assumed that the Veterans Memorial Park was the only viable option.

"However, we viewed it as a placeholder while exploring other, more visible locations. The town resisted any change, even after we petitioned and attended council meetings," Franklin County NAACP President Eric Anspaugh told ABC News.

The project's steering team realized the memorial park area is prone to flooding, is not frequently visited and had fallen into disrepair, so they decided another location would be a better fit for the monument. During the sculptors' visit, the steering team and sculptors agreed that the town square would be accessible and a visible location.

In early 2024, the Raising the Shade Committee sought funding through a grant application, which required confirmation from the local government that they would assist in finding a location for the monument.

A meeting was set up in that spring, followed by monthly discussions and participation in community events. Initially, the Veterans Park was considered as a potential location, but the committee felt it was not the best fit. A town official suggested a church site.

"One of our council members, Ralph Casey, suggested First Baptist Church as an alternative," Mayor Holland Perdue told ABC News. "That started a new conversation, and ultimately, the church was chosen because it aligned well with their plans for the property. The committee also liked the idea of a downtown location for greater visibility."

Meanwhile, the sculpting team of Paul DiPasquale and Rick Weaver began work on the seven-foot bronze statue. Having previously collaborated on African American public sculptures and portraits, they brought their expertise to the project. DiPasquale had also worked closely with Team Henry, Inc. on the removal of Richmond’s Confederate monuments years earlier.

His Arthur Ashe Monument, once the sole tribute to an African American on Richmond’s historic Monument Avenue, now remains the only one standing. The sculpture team undertook the creation and placement of a historically accurate Civil War tribute. Since the Veteran’s Memorial Park in Rocky Mount lacked space for a bronze and granite monument, an alternative site had to be identified.

Other possible locations, such as the area around the town’s farmers market, were also discussed.

"This project will not only honor these men but also educate the community about this part of Franklin County’s history. There was some discussion about the location, but there was never any question about whether we wanted to have a monument -- everyone was on board from the start," Mayor Perdue said. "The main focus was finding the best place for it."

Then, in a move that the reverend said mirrored council member Casey's suggestion, the pastor and congregation members of the First Baptist Church offered the lawn of its original location. It's now used as an educational community center, as the congregation built a new church in 1965 during the Civil Rights Movement. That original site is on a visible main road.

"Some have questioned why a church would host a monument for soldiers, but I see the stories of the soldiers and the church as intertwined," the Rev. Chris Coates of First Baptist Church told ABC News. "Both represent resilience and overcoming obstacles. The church members sacrificed to build their place of worship, just as these soldiers sacrificed for freedom."

After months of back-and-forth with town officials, the offer was a relief, according to local NAACP president Anspaugh.

"For those of us involved in the project, it felt like a weight had been lifted. We were finally able to shift focus back to telling the soldiers' stories instead of debating locations," he said.

The groups weren't only interested in the monument, but gathering enough history to create profiles on each soldier to showcase in town.

The monument -- one of nine community initiatives accepted into the Appalachian project -- is scheduled to be completed by November 2025 and mounted on a hill along the church by December 2025.

In 1860, there was a small population of 105 free Black people in Franklin County and some owned property. However, there were 6,351 enslaved people in Franklin County -- nearly one-third of the entire population of 20,098 inhabitants.

A forum hosted at the historic First Baptist Church is planned for May 31. The church and others will work with high school students and youth groups to educate them on the Black soldiers who fought in the Civil War and hailed from either their county or town.

The unveiling will take place at the church, which was built in 1896 by members who were formerly enslaved or were children of formerly enslaved communities.

"I hope this project will increase awareness and bridge racial divides, not just in our community but beyond," the Rev. Coates said.

Editor's note: This article was updated to clarify funding for the Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia (MAAV) project and the sculpting team's previous work, as well as add more details about the Raising the Shade and how it developed. An earlier version incorrectly named the Afro-Union Soldiers and how many Black Union soldiers had been free when released; both corrections are reflected in the updated article.