John Armstrong (b. 1842
- d. 1930)
MSA SC 3520-10087
USCT Soldier, Queen Anne's County, Maryland
Biography:
John Armstrong was born a slave on Kent Island located in Queen Anne's County, Maryland.1 Armstrong had no proof of his date of birth, but requested for September 25, 1842 to be accepted for the records of the War Department.2 His parents were Alec Nicholson and Charlotte Brown, both born in Maryland.3 As a slave, Armstrong was owned by Alfred Price, a property owner in Queen Anne's County.4 Once Abraham Lincoln enacted the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, Armstrong actively sought to join the United States Colored Troops.5
On March 23, 1864, he enlisted as a private in Company B of the 39th U.S. Colored Troops regiment.6 Armstrong was to serve a term of three years after he was mustered into the service by Col. Bowman on March 24, 1864 at Baltimore, Maryland.7 The regiment was organized at Baltimore, Maryland from March 22 to 31, 1864.8 It consisted of men from all parts of Maryland, but mainly Baltimore City.9 The 39th regiment participated in the Wilderness campaign and also the various battles in Virginia under Grant's command.10
During the war, he suffered from rheumatism at Wilmington, North Carolina in the fall of 1864 and was sent to a hospital.11 Wm. H.D.J. Wilson, served in the same company and regiment with Armstrong, stated that on the "march from Petersburg to Weldon R.R., Va.," Armstrong "contracted affection of the back and rheumatism."12 Wilson also stated "he (Armstrong) often told me that his knapsack hurt him and he had to take a lot of stuff out of it."13 The march from Petersburg to Weldon Railroad took place in 1865.14 Armstrong's time in the Union army was marked by sickness as he spent much of his time in hospitals. From September 1865 to November 1865, he spent time at a Post General Hospital in New Bern, N.C. for sickness.15 The regiment went to North Carolina after the capture of Fort Fisher and remained there until the end of the war.16 At the end of the war, the 39th regiment stayed in the South to perform garrison duty.17 On December 4, 1865, he was officially discharged from the United States army.18
After the war, Armstrong, like many other former slaves, permanently moved to Baltimore, Maryland. Shortly after moving to Baltimore, he and Charlotte Shepherd were married by Reverend A. Robinson on September 11, 1873.19 In 1880, while residing at "China Alley," John and Charlotte Armstrong were living with their niece, Bessie Shepperd.20 The two had a child together named Alexander who was born in 1888.21 By 1900, John and Charlotte were renting a house on Dover Street.22 John was employed as a scowman and Charlotte was employed as a laundress.23 In 1910, John was still employed as a scowman while renting a home on Dover Street.24 John and Charlotte also had a nine year old daughter named Myrtle.25 On August 6, 1911, John became a widower with his wife, Charlotte, passing away.26
Throughout his time in Baltimore, he was employed as a scowman and a stevedore.27 However, Armstrong was unable to perform laborious activities because he suffered from lumbago, rheumatism, disease of heart, obesity, and general debility.28 As a Civil War veteran, he was also able to obtain a pension from the War Department for his disabilities. On September 15, 1890, Armstrong commenced earning a pension of $6.00 per month.29 On March 5, 1901, he was still earning the same amount, but his pension rate increased to $8.00 per month by November 25, 1905.30 Two years later, on February 25, Armstrong was approved for a pension increase at the rate of $12.00 per month.31 By May 16, 1912, Armstrong was earning a monthly pension of $16.50.32 At the time of his death in 1930, his sister, Sarah Ringgold stated that John was earning $72.00 per month, but she could not locate the certificate.33
Armstrong resided in Baltimore for 60 years at various locations including 211 Dover Street, 288 China Street, 833 China Street, and 105 West York Street.34 On February 11, 1930, Armstrong was residing at 812 China Street when he passed away from "acute lobar pneumonia," which he suffered with for eight days prior to his death.35 Three days later, on February 14, he was buried at the U.S. National Cemetery.36 Prior to his death, Armstrong was a member of the Odd Fellows organization, which contributed towards his burial expenses.37
For a visual representation of John Armstrong'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 Armstrong's life from 1842 to 1930. 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.
Return
to John Armstrong's Introductory Page
|
Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!
|