Shadrack Bouldin (b.
1842 - d. 1891)
MSA SC 3520-15851
USCT Soldier, Queen Anne's County, Maryland
Biography:
Shadrack Bouldin was born around 1842 in Centreville, Queen Anne's County, Maryland.1 As a slave, he was owned by John McFarland.2 McFarland manumitted Bouldin upon the date of his enlistment on December 18, 1863.3 However, the manumission was not officially recognized until July 26, 1864 because there needed to be witnesses to sign and seal the papers.4 Under 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."5 McFarland, 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.6 McFarland was entitled to one hundred dollars as compensation for the loss of his slave.
After being manumitted, Bouldin enlisted as a private in Company C of the 19th U.S. Colored Troops at Queen Anne's County, Maryland.7 The regiment was organized by Brigadier General William Birney at Benedict, Maryland on December 15, 1863.8 While at Benedict, Maryland, the regiment received instruction until they were ordered to Baltimore City on March 1, 1864.9 He was mustered into the service on December 25, 1863 at Camp Stanton.10 The majority of the men from the 19th regiment were from Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.11
Before the war began, he served as a farmer by occupation.12 However, Bouldin's fate would take a drastic turn during the war. He maintained his life, but the surgeon's certificate of July 1864 states "Shadrack Bouldin is totally blind, he states that he had an attack of illness at Benedict, Charles County, Md. in which he lost his sight."13 His blindness began in January of 1864 and was diagnosed as a permanent disability being caused by inflammation of the eyes.14 Bouldin was admitted to McKim's Mansion Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland on March 3, 1864.15 He stayed in Ward 1, Bed 6 due to his "total loss of sight."16
Henry Johnson, of Company H of the 19th U.S. Colored Troops regiment, testified in an affidavit that he was in the hospital the same time Bouldin was and "had every opportunity to observe him."17 He also testified that "after a few days of suffering he (Bouldin) became totally blind, and has been so ever since."18 Johnson contended that Bouldin did not enter the army with any issues, but he began to suffer while at Benedict, Maryland.19 William Wells, who served in the same company and regiment, noted that "he knew the said Shadrack Boldin before entering the service and know that he possessed perfect eyesight."20 Bouldin "was taken sick with a severe pain in his head, and soon lost the use of his legs to such extent that he was unable to walk."21 From these two depositions, Bouldin was clearly declared unfit for duty during the last two months he served as a soldier. Bouldin was honorably discharged from the army on July 28, 1864.22
Soon after the war, he moved from Maryland's Eastern Shore to Baltimore, Maryland. In 1878, Bouldin was a resident at 122 Spring Street where he received a $72 a month pension rate.23 Just four years prior, on June 4, 1874, he was earning $50 per month.24 On March 15, 1883, Reverend J.C. Allen of the First Colored Baptist Church of Baltimore, Maryland joined Shadrack and Mary F. Anderson in marriage.25 Shadrack and Mary resided at 632 Sarah Ann Street for much of their time in Baltimore.26 Eight years after his marriage, Shadrack Bouldin died from apoplexy on May 9, 1891.27 He was buried at the U.S. National Cemetery on May 12, 1891.28 After his death, Mary was supported under his pension at a rate of $8.00 per month, which commenced on May 18, 1891.29 Mary continued to receive a pension of $8.00 per month until her death on December 25, 1905.30
For a visual representation of Shadrack Bouldin's journey from slavery to freedom, please click here. Users must have access to Google Earth in order to utilize this file, which includes landmarks(pins) in Bouldin's life from around 1842 to 1891. You may take the tour and investigate individual sites under the "Places" tab on the left of the screen, or you may navigate using the slider and cursor on the map itself.Written and Researched by Tanner Sparks, 2012.
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