Freeman Woodland (b. circa 1846 - d. ?)
MSA SC 3520-7908
USCT Soldier, Kent County, Maryland
Biography:
Freeman Woodland was born a slave around 1846 in Kent
County, Maryland.1 He was owned by James H. Hurtt of
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."7 Hurtt, 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.8 On August 11, 1864, Hurt was due to receive a bounty compensation of $100.00 since his slave, Freeman Woodland, joined the Union army.9
Freeman Woodland was mustered into Company G of the 19th U.S. Colored Troops on January 10, 1864 by Col. Birney and was credited to Kent County.10 The regiment was organized by Brigadier General William Birney in Benedict, Maryland on December 15, 1863.11 While at Benedict, Maryland, the regiment received instruction until they were ordered to Baltimore City on March 1, 1864.12 The majority of the men from the 19th regiment were from Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.13 On April 17, 1864, Woodland was transferred to the Navy in Baltimore, Maryland.14 On January 15, 1867, Woodland was mustered out of the service in Brownsville, Texas.15
Under the Act of 1864, Chapter
15, Section 4, manumitted slaves were entitled to "fifty dollars, when
he shall be mustered into service, and the like sum when he shall be
honorably discharged from service" provided that each volunteer was
credited to the county or city where they resided, which Woodland would receive.16 On February 15, 1867, Woodland received his final
payment for serving in the Union army.17
Before Hurtt was eligible to receive a bounty, he had to prove his
loyalty to the United States. On February 24, 1864, Hurtt signed an
oath of allegiance claiming he
had "never joined, or been concerned in, any insurrection of rebellion"
against the United States.18 On the same day, two
witnesses, Joseph Dozier and Joseph Price, testified that Hurtt was
"unquestionably loyal to the Government of the United States."19 Hurtt attempted to claim compensation under the "provisions of General Orders, No. 329, 1863," for his slave Freeman Woodland.20
However, Hurtt had his compensation agreement refused on July 12, 1865
"because of the disloyalty of the claimant (Hurtt), who was arrested
for rejoicing over the death of President Lincoln, and uttering
treasonable sentiments."21 Despite being considered loyal to
the United States in 1864, Hurtt was found disloyal one year later for
his actions regarding Lincoln's death.
Woodland's life has been difficult to trace since his discharge. It's unclear when he died and if he went back to Kent County to reside or moved eleswhere.
Endnotes:
4. Agnes Kane Callum. Colored Volunteers of Maryland, Civil War: 7th Regiment United States Colored Troops 1863-1866 (Baltimore, MD: Mullac Publishers, 1990.), 1.
6. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. COMPTROLLER OF THE TREASURY (Bounty Rolls) 1864-1880. Freeman Woodland. Page 192.
11. L. Allison Wilmer, J. H. Jarrett, and Geo. W. F. Vernon. History and Roster of Maryland Volunteers, War of 1861-65. Vol. 2 (Baltimore, MD: Guggenheimer, Weil & Co., 1899), 206.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. ARCHIVES OF MARYLAND ONLINE. Passed at the Sessions of 1861, 1861-62, 1864, 1865, 1866, and 1867. Vol. 384, Ch. 15, Section 4. Page 31.
17. COMPTROLLER OF THE TREASURY (Bounty Rolls) 1864-1880. Freeman Woodland. Page 192.
18. Ancestry.com. U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1861-1865. Company G. 19th Regiment. Freeman Woodland. James H. Hurtt Oath of Allegiance. Image Number 673, 674.
21. Ancestry.com. U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1861-1865. Company G. 19th Regiment. Freeman Woodland. Slave Claim. Image Number 666.
Researched and Written by Tanner Sparks, 2013.
Return to Freeman Woodland's Introductory Page
Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!
|