First to Freedom
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Michelle Brooks Book Signing & Discussion
Special Callaway County Colored Troops Display
First to Freedom: Cole County US Colored Troops (2026) is the culmination of a decade of research and personal investment to uncover the names and stories of more than 120 Black Civil War soldiers with connections to Cole County. Jefferson City as a Union stronghold also was an enlistment site for more than 400 Black Missourians. As Missouri was a loyal slave-holding state, these men recruited after June 1863 earned their freedom upon enlistment. Most were sent to either Louisiana or Arkansas, where swampy conditions, poor supplies and exposure to camp diseases left many in faraway, unmarked burials and those who returned were debilitated for life. Nonetheless, most of the surviving Black soldiers who returned to Cole County were active in community development, particularly Lincoln Institute, the Masonic Lodge, churches and emancipation day celebrations.
Special Callaway County Colored Troops Display
First to Freedom: Cole County US Colored Troops (2026) is the culmination of a decade of research and personal investment to uncover the names and stories of more than 120 Black Civil War soldiers with connections to Cole County. Jefferson City as a Union stronghold also was an enlistment site for more than 400 Black Missourians. As Missouri was a loyal slave-holding state, these men recruited after June 1863 earned their freedom upon enlistment. Most were sent to either Louisiana or Arkansas, where swampy conditions, poor supplies and exposure to camp diseases left many in faraway, unmarked burials and those who returned were debilitated for life. Nonetheless, most of the surviving Black soldiers who returned to Cole County were active in community development, particularly Lincoln Institute, the Masonic Lodge, churches and emancipation day celebrations.
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Where is it happening?
106 E 4th St, Fulton, MO 65251-1707, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherKingdom of Callaway Historical Society
