Peter Johnson (b. circa
1833 - d. 1904)
MSA SC 3520-4493
USCT Soldier, Talbot County, Maryland
Biography:
Peter Johnson was born a slave around 1833 (age at the time of his enlistment) in Talbot County, Maryland.1 As a slave, he was owned by Colonel Edward Lloyd, one of the largest property and slave owners in the state.2 While a slave, he worked primarily as a coachman for the Lloyd family.3 According to a surgeon's certificate in his pension file listed under "permanent marks and scars" the surgeon listed "scars on back," which could have been indicative of his time as a slave.4 Johnson may have been subjected to flogging during his time as a slave, which was the case for many slaves. The Lloyd family was known for their harsh treatment towards slaves.5 Rarely did the Lloyd family grant manumissions, which made it difficult to become free on his plantations. The Lloyd family owned nearly 500 slaves and roughly half of the 15,000 total acres in the Miles River Neck area of Talbot County.6
The Civil War had been under way for two years before slaves would get the chance to fight for their freedom. Abraham Lincoln enacted the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 calling for volunteers to join the Union cause.7 According to the Act of 1864, Chapter 15, Section 4, "to the owner of every negro slave who shall agree to the enlistment of his slave as above, the sum of one hundred dollars shall be paid when such owner shall file with the proper authority a good and valid deed of manumission."8 No record of Johnson's manumission has been located. Lloyd, like many slaveowners, may have viewed this as their final opportunity to receive compensation for the loss of their slaves as the institution of slavery was rapidly deteriorating. Not only were slaveowners entitled to compensation, but free blacks and slaves also counted towards the state quota, which meant many slaveowners could have protected their family members from having to join the war.9 Peter Johnson was credited to the Talbot County quota as being owned by Colonel Edward Lloyd.10 Lloyd received a payment of $100.00 on May 25, 1865 as compensation for the loss of his slave.11
Peter Johnson enlisted as a private on September 23, 1863 to serve in Company A of the 7th U.S. Colored Troops regiment.12 During his time in the service, he sustained a gunshot wound to his left hand.13 The injury occurred around October 28, 1864, while on duty at Darbytown Road, Virginia when he was engaged in a skirmish with the enemy.14 The objective of the Darbytown, Virginia skirmish was to relieve soldiers from the 8th regiment and to confuse the enemy.15 A diversion was created to cover the army while advancing on the enemy lines at Boydton Plank Road and Hatcher’s Run. The injury would have lasting ramifications for Johnson, which eventually resulted in rheumatism or neuralgia in the left hand and arm.16 Despite being wounded, he made it through the duration of the war and his three year term.17 On October 13, 1866, he was officially discharged from the army at Indianola, Texas.18 The army was required to act as a garrison in Texas for the following 18 months after the war had ended.19
After serving for three years, Johnson went back to Talbot County, Maryland where he would stay for the remainder of his life.20 According to the 1880 census, Johnson was a 55 year old "farm hand" and living with his wife Sarah Ann.21 The census also shows that the couple had three sons, Peter (24 years old), Henry (12 years old) and John (11 years old). They also boarded their 12 year old nephew, Charley Gibson. On June 4, 1889, John Johnson of the same company and regiment, tesitfied in defense of Peter Johnson.22 John Johnson stated that he and Peter "have lived neighbors with him ever since (the war) and I have often heard gim complain of the rheumatism in his left hand and arm. He complained soon after his discharge from the service and has spoken of his sufferings ever since and I have seen his hand when it was swollen."23 This information was important for Peter Johnson since he was attempting to gain a pension. Johnson was able to gain a pension of $4.00 per month, which commenced on November 8, 1889.24 He was a resident of Tunis Mills and Unionville in Talbot County.25 Johnson was able to gain an increased pension beginning on August 17, 1892 at $6.00 per month, then increased to $8.00 per month on September 5, 1900.26
One year before his death on February 11, 1903, Johnson began earning a pension rate of $10.00 per month.27 Johnson was married before the war, but according to his pension file, no record of the marriage exist because they were “married in slave days.”28 They were married at St. Michael’s, Maryland in 1850.29 The couple had five children together, but no record of their births was kept. This made it difficult to prove whether or not their children were under the age of sixteen. According to Johnson's death record, his wife Sarah Ann Gibson died around 1888 in Talbot County.30 Shortly before Johnson's death, he was earning $12.00 per month.31 According to the 1900 census, Johnson was residing with his son, Henry.32 As a widower, Johnson remained a laborer by occupation, until passing away from heart failure in the town of Unionville on May 7, 1904.33
9. Ibid.
10. COMPTROLLER OF THE TREASURY (Bounty Rolls) Peter Johnson, Page 154, MSA S629-1.
11. Ibid.
12. Ancestry.com. National Archives and Records Andministration. U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1861-1865. Peter Johnson. Company Descriptive Book. Page 1370.
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) [MSA SC 4126] Peter Johnson, Box 23, Folder 485, Page 8, 10.
15. Callum, Colored Volunteers of Maryland, 29.
18. Ibid.
19. Callum, Colored Volunteers of Maryland, 34.
23. Ibid.
24. Ibid., 11.
26. Ibid., 17.
27. Ibid., 19.
28. Ibid., 23.
29. Ibid.
33. BOARD OF HEALTH (Death Record, Counties). Peter Johnson. May 7, 1904. MSA SE42-1660.
Written and Researched by Tanner Sparks, 2012.
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