The Manuscript Collection of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library at the Banneker-Douglass Museum contains letters, rare documents, and ephemera which elucidates Maryland's African American history and culture. For Black History Month, we are featuring a rare document concerning Robert Jones, an African American Civil War veteran. Heeding the call of Frederick Douglass, Robert Jones enlisted in the United States Colored Troops on November 5th, 1863 in Somerset County, Maryland. After Jones helped save the Union, Maryland paid his owner, Robert Patterson, $100 for allowing him to fight in the war. Maryland freed Jones when the State changed its constitution in 1864, leading the effort to extend freedom to all Americans.
Do you desire to learn more about Robert Jones and many other African Americans like him? Then make it a point to stop by the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library and the Banneker-Douglass Museum.
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