author
Christian A. (Christian Abraham) Fleetwood
1840–1914
Remembered for remarkable courage at the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm, he became one of the few Black Civil War soldiers to receive the Medal of Honor. His life also reached far beyond the battlefield, spanning journalism, music, public service, and Black civic leadership in Washington, D.C.
1 Audiobook
The Negro as a soldier
by Christian A. (Christian Abraham) Fleetwood
About the author
Born free in Baltimore in 1840, Christian Abraham Fleetwood was educated at Ashmun Institute, later Lincoln University. During the Civil War he joined the 4th U.S. Colored Infantry, rose to sergeant major, and earned the Medal of Honor for carrying the colors after other color bearers were shot down at Chaffin’s Farm, Virginia, on September 29, 1864.
After the war, Fleetwood built a wide-ranging public life. Sources describe him not only as a veteran but also as an editor, musician, government clerk, and organizer of Black militia units in Washington, D.C. That mix of military service and civic work helps explain why he appears so often in histories of African American leadership in the late 19th century.
He died in Washington, D.C., in 1914. Today he is remembered both for personal bravery in combat and for the broader example he set as a Black soldier and public figure during and after the Civil War.