Loudonville museum program on black troops in Civil War set for Nov. 18

The Cleo Redd Fisher Museum's Speaker Series continues this month with a look at the role of black troops during the American Civil War, with "Black Men in Blue: The Civil War, Ohioans, and the United States Colored Troops."

The United States Colored Troops were the embodiment of Frederick Douglass’s belief that “he who would be free must himself strike the blow."

Approximately 180,000 men -- many who had formerly been enslaved -- volunteered to fight in the Union army; nearly 40,000 gave their lives for the cause. With every engagement they fought in, African-Americans time and again proved their mettle. At Port Hudson in Louisiana, Fort Wagner in South Carolina, Chaffin's Farm in Virginia, and elsewhere, USCT units displayed courage under fire and won glory on the field of battle.

The program, Black Men in Blue, will be held on Monday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. in the meeting hall of the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum (203 E. Main Street, Loudonville). This program is free and open to the public and is made possible in part by the Ohio Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.