More than 185,000 Black men served in the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War, about 10% of soldiers in the Union Army. The American Civil War Museum's new exhibit, Beyond Valor, chronicles those troops.
Many artifacts come from regiments involved in the 1865 Battle of Forks Road, which ended in the fall of the Confederacy's final major seaport in Wilmington, North Carolina. Others are typical of what USCT soldiers carried.
The museum is hosting two experts to speak about the USCT June 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the former Tredegar Iron Works site. Tickets cost $10 for the event.
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(From left) Meg, Moira and Tom McConnell look at artifacts in the Beyond Valor exhibit at The American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar on June 8, 2023 in Richmond, Virginia.
Ryan M. Kelly / for VPM News
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(From left) Meg, Moira and Tom McConnell, and David Niles, talk with CEO Dr. Rob Havers about artifacts in the Beyond Valor exhibit at The American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar on June 8, 2023 in Richmond, Virginia.
Ryan M. Kelly / VPM News
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Artifacts on display in the Beyond Valor exhibit at The American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar on June 8, 2023 in Richmond, Virginia.
Ryan M. Kelly / VPM News
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(From left) Oliver Mendoza, digital content coordinator; John Dixon, creative services manager; and Aliyah Harrison, digital engagement manager, stand for a portrait in the Beyond Valor exhibit at The American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar on June 8, 2023 in Richmond, Virginia.
Ryan M. Kelly / for VPM News
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Artifacts on display in the Beyond Valor exhibit at The American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar on June 8, 2023 in Richmond, Virginia.
Ryan M. Kelly / for VPM News
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— Beyond Valor
(From left) Meg, Moira and Tom McConnell, and David Niles, look at artifacts in the Beyond Valor exhibit at The American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar on June 8, 2023 in Richmond, Virginia.
Ryan M. Kelly / VPM News