Forgotten Soldiers Unveiling

Key West City Commissioner Clayton Lopez wants to invite the entire community to witness the unveiling of the Memorial to the Forgotten Soldiers at 11 a.m. on February 16, 2016, at Bayview Park.

The sculpture, commissioned by Ed Knight, stands in honor of the black men of Key West who served in a union regiment during the Civil War. Their names have been lost to history, but their sacrifice lives on.

In January of 1863 Col James Montgomery of Kansas was authorized to raise a regiment of troops consisting entirely of free blacks and former refugee slaves. He came to Key West to recruit for that regiment. All Africans between the ages of 15 and 50 who were not already serving were ordered to undergo medical clearance, then report for transport to South Carolina to fight. Some of these men returned to Key West after the war and started families. Many were injured. At least 18 paid the ultimate price.

The unveiling dovetails with Black History Month, and February 16 is significant, as it’s the day that the men were ordered to report for duty.

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