After the 1960s, very few Civil War monuments were erected, however several were unveiled honoring African American participants in the last thirty years. Monuments to Black soldiers were virtually banned in the South before the last half-century and Black contributions were generally ignored in the North. The Civil Rights Movement and the movie “Glory” focused a lot of attention on the “Colored” regiments during the war.
In 2008, New Haven, Connecticut unveiled a set of monument stones to the 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment. The fundraising for the set of stones was organized by the descendents of the men of the regiment. The execution was by sculptor Ed Hamilton.
The monument is in the Fair Haven neighborhood of the City of New Haven at Criscuolo Park near where the Quinnipiac River enters Long Island Sound. The park itself is a flat landmass set in among industrial buildings alongside the Chapel Street Bridge to downtown New Haven. While the site itself is not scenic, it is where the 29th Colored Infantry regiment formed in 1863 and 1864.
The monument is set just beyond the outfield of the park’s baseball diamond. Nearby, there are other sports facilities including a basketball court. You can see it from the baseball field in the photo below.
On November 13, 1863 two army officers proposed the creation of a regiment of Black men from Connecticut. 8,726 Black men lived in the state, according to the Census of 1860. By the end of the year, recruitment was underway and camps began to be set up near where the monument now stands. On March 4, 1864, the regiment was mustered in at Fair Haven. Because 1,200 men had volunteered for the 29th, too large for a regiment, some men were diverted into another “Colored” regiment, the 30th Connecticut. On March 19, 1864, the 29th marched through New Haven and got on a steamship to Maryland.
While the park is not central to New Haven, it is where the unit formed and trained. The neighborhood was called “Dublin” in the late 19th Century because of its large Irish population.
Although a significant number of men in the 29th Connecticut were born free, the men were concerned that they were written out of the history of the country. Alexander Newton, a soldier in the 29th, wrote after the war; “While it had always been said that this was a white man’s country, we were determined that the Black man should share in this honor of ownership.” [P. 29] He said that he and his fellow soldiers of the 29th would “contend in this conflict until the sound of clanking slave chains shall be heard no more…”
The monument is in the center of a circle of brick paving stones. There is a central stone surrounded by a semi-circle of eight stones with the names of men from the regiment. The largest stone has a picture of two soldiers from the regiment.
Another side shows a dedication from the Descendents of the men of the 29th to their ancestors.
The rear side shows a portrait of the regiment advancing in battle with the list of engagements underneath it.
The portrait show the battle flag of the regiment and the United States Flag waving desperately above the men of the 29th.
Here is a closeup.
While the men marched with pride underneath their flag, one of the soldiers recalled that they were dissatisfied when they received their first pay. While white men received $13 per month, the Black troops were only paid $7. The soldier, I. J. Hill said that rather than accept the discriminatory pay, he would not accept any pay rather than let the Federal government “insult me.” After this protest, two days later they were told by General Saxton that the State of Connecticut would make up for the deficiency in the Federal pay and pay without discrimination out of state funds. Saxton told the men that; “You have the same muscle as white men, and the same courage to fight.” [Page 17]
The final side gives a history of the regiment. Although the monument was fifteen years old when I visited it in September 2023, it was so polished that it looked brand new.
In the Spring of 1864, the unit was moved down to Beaufort, South Carolina, where the men provided protection for the growing free Black community there. In August,1864 the unit was moved to Virginia to participate in the “Siege” of Petersburg.
29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment, Beaufort, South Carolina, 1864 Source
On April 3, 1865, men of the 29th were among the first Union troops to enter Richmond. Soon after, the men of the regiment greeted Lincoln when he came down to the captured rebel capital.
The stones around central monument are inscribed with the names of the men in the regiment arranged by the towns where they came from. The ranks and the company are also displayed.
Some towns have just one or two names, but several have scores of names.
Since this was put up by the Descendants, it is natural for them to want to put the names of their ancestors up. So many of these men were forgotten soon after they left this earth. Now, 150 years later, their descendants have put up a permanent marker to them.
You can see the long ranks from Hartford here.
New Haven begins in the lower right, below.
New Haven continues on the following stone.
A close-up.
And the names continue.
And continue.
Here is the monument from the Mill River.
This baseball field was part of the Fair Haven camp where the men trained.
The flat piece of land made this a good place for training in the drills of the Union Army.
The park is at the intersection of Chapel St. and James.
Right nearby you can see the bridge to downtown New Haven and Yale University.
On November 24, 1865, the 29th was discharged in Hartford. They were treated to a fine repast, with generals and politicians coming out to pay the men tribute. The next day, the men were paid off and disbanded.
All color photos were taken by Pat Young. To see more sites Pat visited CLICK HERE for Google Earth view.
Source: Connecticut African American Soldiers in the Civil War.
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