Freedom Trail commission honors Civil War soldiers
By: Import User
Updated: May 24, 2008
The Rochester-Monroe County Freedom Trail Commission honored 200,000 men of color and 7,000 Caucasian Civil War officers Saturday. The soldiers made up the United States colored troops. The ceremony was held morning at Riverside Cemetery. Some of the soldiers who were honored were former slaves; they faced prejudice and discrimination when they joined the military. Organizers of Saturday’s event say they hope the lessons faced by these troops are not forgotten.
" This is not stuff that will be buried in the textbook, this is about how people dealt with adversity, how they embrace the nation...united in understanding that we've come a long way and that all the lessons presented by colored troops are valid today,“ says Paul Anderson, an organizer of Saturday’s event.
This was the fourth annual tribute by the Rochester-Monroe County Freedom Trail Commission.
