205,145

If you drive by, or even walk by, the African American Civil War Memorial, you'll see Spirit of Freedom, Ed Hamilton's monumental bronze statue of three soldiers and one sailor on one of its sides and a scene of a soldier's leavetaking of home on the other. Behind the sculpture you'll see rows of horizontal steel bands. You have to stop when you walk by to see that the bands are engraved with the 205,145 names of the African American soldiers, white officers and Hispanic surnamed members of the US Colored Troops and sailors who fought in the Civil War.

To get background in preparation for viewing the monument I had stopped at the African American Civil War Museum on the way down U Street to the Memorial. Curator Hari Jones shared his knowledge and passion to bring the history alive for me. A descendant of one of the men whose name is on the Wall of Honor at the Memorial, he first learned about his forebear's contributions as a young child in Oklahoma.

The museum uses primary materials - frequently in the form of photographs and newspaper reprints. Interesting to look at, and even more compelling when Hari tells the stories behind them. Garland White was born in slavery in Richmond and escaped to become a preacher in Indiana. He joined the Colored Troops as a private and was discharged so that he could be commissioned as a chaplain. Grant appointed him to lead the US army into Richmond and while at the head of the troops he was recognized by his mother.

Why is this such a surprise to me? Hari says it's not only to me; that this information has been suppressed and mentions W.E.B. DuBois' essay "The Propaganda of History" by way of explanation. In the meantime, this museum and memorial highlight an essential contribution that we all should know more about.