John Johnson (b. circa
1828 - d. 1866)
MSA SC 5496-51309
USCT Soldier, Talbot County, Maryland
Biography:
John Johnson was born a slave in Miles
River Neck, Talbot County, Maryland around 1828.1 Miles River Neck was a 15,000 acre
section
of Talbot County and the Lloyd
family owned roughly half of that acreage.2 Johnson appears to have been owned by Daniel Lloyd, the brother of Colonel Edward Lloyd VI.3 Daniel
Lloyd wrote in his slave claim that he became in possession of Johnson
through "ownership of his mother at the time of his (John Johnson)
birth, she being my slave by inheritance."4 Daniel Lloyd was
a resident of Dorchester County in 1866 (the time of his slave claim)
when two of Lloyd's acquaintances vouched for his allegiance to the
"Government of the United States, by defending its cause against the
Government of the so-called Confederate States of America."5
Daniel Lloyd claimed compensation, "under the provisions of Section 24,
Act approved February 24, 1864, and Section 2, Act approved July 28,
1866, for my slave John Johnson."6
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.7 Lloyd was entitled to receive his compensation of $100 after proving the validity of his ownership of Johnson.8
After enduring slavery for much of his life, the Civil War presented an opportunity for freedom. On May 22, 1863, five months after Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, the Bureau of Colored Troops was established as a separate entity of the War Department.9 By September, the War Department Adjutant General's Office gave Colonel Birney the authority to raise a regiment of Colored Troops, known as the 7th regiment.10 Johnson was able to enlist in Company B on September 21, 1863 and was mustered into the service on September 26, 1863 at Baltimore, Maryland by Colonel William Birney.11
When the Civil War began, the notion of having slaves fight was becoming popular within the Union. However, slave owners on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, such as Lloyd, were opposed to the idea. Lloyd stood to lose a substantial amount of his already large slave base. According to Joseph Sutton, who provided an oral folk history made the reference that "Colonel Lloyd was against the recruitin" because it was "his wealth they was takin away from him."12 The women had persuaded their husbands and able-bodied men to join the war effort because as slaves they all felt their "liberty would grow out of it."13 Because of their persuasion, the females were "tied up and flogged" and they also experienced increased labor tasks to make up for their "wicked advice," as she recalled.14 Harriet also noted that the regiment her husband fought with was involved in numerous battles and put in many compromising situations as many were killed or badly wounded.15
Sources indicate that Harriett was right about the 7th U.S. Colored Troops
regiment
being involved in various battles and skirmishes, as well as being placed in
comprising situations. Before they participated in battles, the regiment was faced with
drilling and instruction at Camp Stanton, Benedict, Maryland.16 The
regiment were subjected to menial chores such as "building stockades,
bunks, officers quarters, kitchens, hospitals, and lastly places for
their living."17 They were also subjected to being cooks and valets
for officers.18 The 7th regiment participated
in numerous battles
and skirmishes in which were a contributing factor in winning the
war. Some battles included, Cedar Creek, Florida, Camp Melton,
Florida,
White Point, South Carolina, Petersburg, Virginia, Fort Gilmer,
Virginia,
Fort Burnham, Virginia, and Appotmattox Court House, Virginia, among
others.19
When the war ended in April 1865, the 7th regiment served out the remainder of their three year enlistments in Indianola, Texas acting as a garrison.20 While in Texas, Johnson's company was sent to Lavaca where they patrolled prisoners, administered the oath of allegiance and acted as magistrate in cases of dispute where Civil authorities were not present.21 While in Texas, a cholera epidemic broke out causing many soldiers to die as a result. Unfortunately, John Johnson succumbed to the disease at a hospital in Indianola, Texas on October 12, 1866, just two days before the regiment was honorably discharged and sent back to Maryland.22
Before John Johnson had enlisted in the Union army he married a woman named Harriet in 1854.23 They were married by Reverend Dr. Joseph Spencer at the Episcopal Church in the Parish of St. Michaels, Talbot County.24 According to Johnson's wife, he was said to be a "brave soldier, a true patriot, and an honest advocate of human rights."25 He was survived by his wife, Harriett and two sons, Emmanuel and John. Emmanuel was born in 1855 and John was born in 1856, making Harriett eligible to receive an increased pension for each of her sons as they were under the age of sixteen.26 However, Harriett experienced problems when attempting to receive that pension. She wrote one letter expressing her disappointment in the system as they were denying her right to obtain a pension from her deceased husband.27
In order to gain the pension, she had to call upon Edward Lloyd VII to furnish his fathers slave/plantation record of purchases and sales, births, marriages, and deaths.28 Edward Lloyd VII was able to provide the proof of service and dates of birth form to assist Harriet.29 The Lloyd's practiced getting their slaves married when they reached a legal age which became beneficial to Harriet in gaining a pension.30 Harriett's widow's pension shows that she was able to receive a pension rate of $8.00 per month, plus an additional $2.00 for each of her children commencing on October 12, 1866, the day after her husband's death.31 She and her children were still living in Talbot County at the time of the widow's pension.32
For a visual representation of John Johnson'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 Johnson's life from circa 1828 to 1866. 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.Endnotes:
1. Ancestry.com. National Archives and Records Administration, U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1861-1865, Volunteer Descriptive List for John Johnson, Company B, 7th United States Colored Troops, Page 961.9. Agnes Kane Callum, Colored Volunteers of Maryland: Civil War 7th Regiment United States Colored Troops, 1863-1866 (Baltimore, MD: Mullac Publishers, 1990), 1.
10. Ibid.
12. Shephard Krech III, "The Participation of Maryland Blacks in the Civil War," Page 70.
14. Ibid.|
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