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Download full resolution image Guard Honors African-American Civil War Soldier

Guard Honors African-American Civil War Soldier

MENANDS, NY-A New York Army National Guard Color Guard joins Civil War reenactors and members of the Patriot Guard, in honoring Civil War Soldier 1st Sgt. William Francis, a member of the famed 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first Black unit to fight in the Union Army. Local Civil War historians identified Francis' unmarked grave at historic Albany Rural Cemetery and arranged for the Veterans Administration to provide a new stone to mark his final resting place.
Francis, who enlisted as a private, served throughout the Civil War, including the 54th's assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, made famous in the 1989 movie "Glory".

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NY National Guard In the News

WAMC -- Thu, 30 Mar 2023 "He fought that good fight": CSM Wilson sees fort renaming as part of Sgt. Henry Johnson's growing legacy (audio) Fort Polk in Louisiana will be renamed in honor of Albany resident Sergeant Henry Johnson. The renaming will occur in June and comes after Congress authorized the Naming Commission to provide... (more)

Air & Space Forces Magazine -- Thu, 30 Mar 2023 The Arctic is Trying To Kill You: What It Looks Like When Airmen Train Far North Hows this for an early-February getaway: Spend five days and four nights on a frozen island in the Arctic Ocean, where the temperature ranges from a balmy negative 25 degrees Fahrenheit to... (more)

Fort Hood Sentinel -- Thu, 30 Mar 2023 Soldiers earn U.S. citizenship Seven Soldiers assigned to the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion, New York Army National Guard, currently training for deployments at Fort Hood were recently sworn in as U.S. citizens in San... (more)

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Dated: Fri, Apr 23, 2010 @ 14:10