Sgt Major Christian Fleetwood - American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient - Restoration

Christian Fleetwood was a Sergeant Major of the U.S. Colored Troops during the American Civil War and Medal of Honor recipient for having "saved the regimental colors after eleven of the twelve color guards had been shot down around it" at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm (September 29–30, 1864). The picture shows Fleetwood about 20 years later, as Captain of the Washington Cadets resp. Washington Cadet Corps (WCC). The WCC was a black militia unit formed in 1880, later amalgamated with the National Guard of the District of Columbia (DCNG). Fleetwood wears a double breasted tailcoat similiar to the Pattern 1879 regulation Army officer's frockcoat, but with the front of the skirt squarely cut away. On Fleetwood's chest the Medal of Honor (left) and the Butler Medal (right). The WCC's coat has further specific alterations. Instead of having plain cuffs and a plain collar, the latter seems to be trimmed with collar patches, probably in branch color (white for Infantry since 1881 in lieu of light blue). Likewise the cuffs which are edged with Austrian knots. The tailcoat's breast has two rows of 7 buttons each as prescribed for Army company grade officers; field grade officers were indicat

Date

1881–1887

Photographer / author

Restored by

Archive

Library of Congress (via Wikimedia Commons)

Type

photograph

Original size

1,720 × 2,460 pixels

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