Fountaindale Public Library

Alexandria's Freedmen's Cemetery, a legacy of freedom, Char McCargo Bah ; edited by Mumini M. Bah

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

collective biography

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Alexandria's Freedmen's Cemetery

bibliography

1083456308

Char McCargo Bah ; edited by Mumini M. Bah

a legacy of freedom

"At the beginning of the Civil War, Federal troops secured Alexandria as Union territory. Former slaves, called contrabands, poured in to obtain protection from their former masters. Due to overcrowding, mortality rates were high. Authorities seized an undeveloped parcel of land on South Washington Street, and by March 1864, it had been opened as a cemetery for African Americans. Between 1864 and 1868, more than 1,700 contrabands and freedmen were buried there. For nearly eighty years, the cemetery lay undisturbed and was eventually forgotten. Rediscovered in 1996, it has now been preserved as a monument to the courage and sacrifice of those buried within. Author and researcher Char McCargo Bah recounts the stories of those men and women and the search for their descendants."-- back cover

Foreword, by Audrey P. Davis -- Foreword, by Frances Norton Burton -- Introduction -- We were waiting on freedom -- Don't forget about me -- We came so far, just to die -- Freedom didn't come easy -- We thanked the President -- We marched with the Yankees -- No more master, no more mistress -- Alexandria Contrabands and Freedmen's cemetery dedication ceremony -- Epilogue. "Call our name"

adult