I’ve written before about my great great grandfather Sergeant William T. Slyter who gave his life to preserve the union and end slavery in the Civil War. Today it’s time to honor the black soldiers on my mother’s side of the family who made the same ultimate sacrifice. Black troops were usually assigned to segregated units and menial tasks but none the less proved themselves in battle. While their pay often went to their illegitimate owners, they were charged for petty debts like the loss of a canteen in battle, and were seldom given the customary benefits of burial in a national cemetery and a pension for their survivors. Yet having barely tasted freedom these black troops turned the tide of the civil war, their black community gave us Memorial Day, and the surviving black Shobes persevered to become respected judges, doctors, and public servants.
Let’s say their names, and may they rest in power:
Private Isaac Shobe of the 67th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
Private James Shobe of the 108th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
Private James Shobe of the 109th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
Private Smith Shobe of 122nd Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
Sassy Democrat 