2019 Additions - USCT

The Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was proud to announce the addition of 107 United States Colored Troops (USCT) to its Roll of Honor in 2019. USCT regiments were composed primarily of African-American soldiers, although Caucasians and members of other minority groups also served with the units. This significant addition to the Monument’s Roll of Honor is the result of nearly 20 years of painstaking historical research and verification work using modern methods.

It began in 2002 with high school history teacher Paul LaRue of Washington Court House, Ohio and Mr. LaRue’s Advanced Placement History Class students. One of the Class’s projects involved research on seven USCT veterans buried in a Washington Court House cemetery. Their work led to new government issued military headstones to be installed on the graves, rightfully honoring those who fought for our country.

This success led the Class to continue its research on burials of other USCT veterans within the State of Ohio. Their work came to the attention of the Governor’s office, which issued an executive order to provide copies of Ohio Civil War enlistment records to the Class. As the Class continued its work, the names of several veterans from Cuyahoga County were uncovered.

Jerry Young – a Monument volunteer at the time (and now a Commissioner of the Monument) – learned of the Class’s work in 2009. Mr. LaRue graciously offered the use of the microfilmed records to the Monument for continued research. The Monument formed a committee for this work.

For nearly a decade, Mr. Young; Committee Chair Jon Silvis, and Executive Director Tim Daley conducted extensive research on behalf of the Monument Commission that included fact-checking; verification and re-verification.

These additions are the culmination of the many years of hard work and the dedication of an educator; his students; the Monument’s historians and Commission; the State of Ohio and Cuyahoga County. Today the names of 107 American heroes are in their rightful place on the Roll of Honor of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument.

While these efforts are separated on this page to highlight these efforts, the names have been included in the main listing by name as well.