As part of their Freedom to Serve series, the Ohio National Guard honored four soldiers from the 5th United States Colored Troops who were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Civil War.
Last summer, the Ohio National Guard created the Freedom to Serve Campaign to commemorate the 75th anniversary of President Harry Truman signing executive orders that integrated the U.S. military and federal workforce. Last year’s iteration of the campaign honored the 6,888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-female, all-Black unit that served during World War II.
This year’s iteration focused on the 5th United States Colored Troops, an African American regiment in the Civil War. Originally formed as the 127th Ohio Infantry Regiment, the unit was redesignated as the 5th United States Colored Infantry Regiment.
The Ohio National Guard Public Affairs Bureau released a video series on YouTube highlighting the troops and the four Medal of Honor recipients.
The regiment headed south, mostly residing in Virginia and North Carolina.
In Sept. 1864, the regiment fought in the Battle of Chaffin's Farm, in which many of their white officers were wounded or killed. Sgt. Maj. Milton M. Holland, and First Sgts. Robert Pinn, Powhatan Beaty and James H. Bronson all stepped up and were able to lead their companies to victory.
Dr. Kelly Mezurek, a professor of history at Walsh University in Canton, who focuses on Black Civil War soldiers, delivered a keynote address on the four recipients. Mezurek is also heavily featured in the video series.
“I’ve found over the years that we put time into things that we think matter,” Mezurek said. “For too long, historians have not put time into these men, and I hope those videos join me in some of the work that I’m doing to make that change.”
Mezurek is the author of For Their Own Cause: The 27th United States Colored Troops, a book detailing Ohio’s later African American regiment.
The event included a panel discussion with Mezeruk and members of the Ohio National Guard discussing what this story meant to them. Adjutant Gen. of Ohio John C. Harris named Mezeruk as an honorary ‘Buckeye Colonel’ for her work.
“This is our history and I think we're all responsible for making sure that it's part of our story that we tell,” Mezurek said.
