Wed 3/11 @ 6PM
On Wed 3/11 @ 6pm a local group, the Civil War Roundtable, will host a dynamic presentation by noted historian Anthony Gibbs at Judson Manor. Gibbs is a teaching artist who has presented history programs and character impressions to audiences around Ohio for over 10 years. His subject matter for the evening will be the United States Colored Troops (USCT), a group that, except for the film Glory, has rarely been given the credit they deserve as a fighting force in the war.
Some Civil War experts posit that once Lincoln allowed blacks — including former slaves — to don uniforms and fight for their own freedom, the war (a conflict in which the Confederate traitors previously had scored the majority of victories) began to favor the Union. While much is known about one group, the all-volunteer black 54th Massachusetts Regiment Infantry, actually over 178,000 blacks served, fought, and became the precursors to the famed Buffalo Soldiers.
Gibbs has shared his dramatic historical stories in schools, libraries, museums and other venues and as a gifted storyteller, he captures his audiences with spellbinding performances that keep audiences on the edge of their seats. The story of the USCT is a unique chapter in the history of our nation. These men were truly the first freedom fighters who fought for emancipation and full citizenship rights. Their courageous actions eventually won the approval of whites who previously had held the opinion that blacks would not fight for their own freedom. However, the black troops proved their mettle and died at a rate 35% higher than their white counterparts.
Anthony Gibbs has portrayed living history characters such as John Parker, an Underground Railroad conductor from Ripley, Ohio; Milton Holland, a soldier and Medal of Honor recipient of the 5th USCT; and other key figures in African history. He is also the founder and creative director of Historic Impressions, an organization dedicated to the remembrance, appreciation, and exhibition of African American contributions to history.
Email ccwrt1956@yahoo.com to make a reservation. This is an event you won’t want to miss.
From CoolCleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author at http://NeighborhoodSolutionsIn