William h barnes biography of christopher

William Henry Barnes c. He was African American. Barnes was born and raised in St. Mary's County Maryland and worked as a free tenant farmer there before enlisting in the Army from Norfolk, Virginia , on February 11, His enlistment papers record his age as 23, implying a birth year of or , but other sources give his birth as At the Battle of Chaffin's Farm , on September 29, , Barnes' regiment was among a division of black troops assigned to attack the center of the Confederate defenses at New Market Heights.

William Henry Barnes (c.

The attack was met with intense Confederate fire; over fifty percent of the black troops were killed, captured, or wounded. Barnes remained in the Army after the war, traveling to Texas with his regiment. He died of tuberculosis at an Army hospital in Indianola on December 24, Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 38th U. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chaffins Farm, Va.

Entered service at Birth: St. Marys County, Md.