Introduction
At the start of the U.S. Civil War Maryland’s Black population was nearly equally divided with half enslaved and half free. Thus, Maryland was both a Union and a slave state. Slavery persisted in Maryland until November 1864, when the barbaric practice was abolished through the ratification of a new state Constitution by the people of Maryland. Maryland abolished slavery more than a year prior to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolished slavery nationwide.
Well before Maryland abolished slavery, enslaved persons seized the opportunity to fight for a cause greater than themselves. President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation issued on January 1st, 1863, authorized the enlistment of Blacks into the Union army. Shortly afterwards the United States Colored Troops (USCT) was formed and Talbot County’s enslaved and free Black men eagerly enlisted.
After the war, many of these men returned to Talbot County, built homes and established communities. Many of these veterans worked diligently to uplift their community, building churches and schools and advocating for civil rights. The legacy of the Talbot County USCT lives on, their service a testament to their unyielding spirit and determination to claim the freedom for which they had so bravely fought.