Another newspaper article, this time in the Cincinnati Enquirer from July 24, 2011, looks at Medal of Honor winner Powhatan Beaty of the 5th United States Colored Troops. Beaty, a slave prior to the Civil War, won his Medal of Honor at the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm on September 29, 1864 at the Siege of Petersburg. Beaty went back over 600 feet to retrieve his company’s flag, lost in an unsuccessful charge.
Powhatan Beaty loved a remarkable life even after the war, working as a cabinet-maker, janitor, and steamboat porter, but also acting, even managing to appear at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.
IAM LOOKING FOR ANY THING ON MY G-GANDFATHER PVE.WILLIAM OVERTON GIBSON OF THE CIVIL WAR
CO.G.5th USCT
GOS BLESS
MINISTER HELENA M. GIBSON
Helena,
Thanks for writing in! I took a look at Footnote.com to see if your ancestor’s records are online, and they are available at http://www.footnote.com/browse.php#33|hpFEpOhNG. The official title is M1820: Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served With the United States Colored Troops, 2nd through 7th Colored Infantry including 3d Tennessee Volunteers (African Descent), 6th Louisiana Infantry (African Descent), and 7th Louisiana Infantry (African Descent).
It looks like Private Gibson’s record contains 17 images showing things like his height, age, where he was wounded, when he was present with the company are all available there. I think Footnote.com charges you a small fee if you choose to access specific images, or you can subscribe for a month or longer to get the information you need. Either way, based on your email above, I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the amount of information available on your ancestor for a reasonable price and they allow you to download the images right to your computer as well. No waiting for something in the mail.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Brett