African American Heritage Alliance takes root

From Star-Exponent: African American Heritage Alliance takes root
Two historians passionate about the legacy of African Americans have created an organization focused on telling the whole story.
Reva resident Zann Nelson, former director of the Museum of Culpeper History, and Howard Lambert, a Culpeper native who appeared with Denzel Washington in 1989’s “Glory,” are co-founders of the African American Heritage Alliance. The mission of the state-incorporated group, formed in March, is to preserve and promote greater knowledge of African American history through research, education, interpretation and publication.
Its focus the next couple years, aptly so, will be the role of the United States Colored Troops in the American Civil War, now in the midst of its 150th anniversary. The Alliance’s inaugural event will be a daylong symposium July 21 with honored guest Dr. Dan Sutherland, an award-winning author whose latest book, “Seasons of War,” explores Culpeper’s strategic role in the American conflict.
“The word, ‘Alliance,’ was very intentional,” Nelson said of her new organization, “because we will be aligning with other groups whether they be historic groups, education groups or churches.”
Working separately and then together on various African American history projects, Nelson and Lambert realized the need for a formal organization to support, give credence to and help disseminate the vast untapped wealth of information out there on the total African American experience.
“It has been a passion of mine for some time,” said Lambert, a re-enactor for decades with the famed 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the first documented African American regiment in the north to serve for the Union in the Civil War, as depicted in “Glory.”
Co-founding the Alliance with Nelson seemed like “a natural collaboration,” he said, especially in light of the ongoing sesquicentennial commemoration.
“It just made sense, we were like minds. I am bubbling up with so many projects and thought if we do it collectively we have a much more unifying force to get things done,” said Lambert, a 1975 graduate of Culpeper County High School and past member of Antioch Baptist Church.
The Alliance is not restricted to geography or a particular time period or just the military in its mission, Nelson said, though the original focus will be on the USCT link to citizens of Culpeper, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock. The USCT did not activate until emancipation of the slaves in 1863, its service continuing through the end of the war.
Right now, Nelson, an investigative journalist and Star-Exponent columnist, is researching colored troops that listed their place of birth as one of the aforementioned four counties. Previous notable African American projects she did include the nationally recognized “Buried Truth” series from 2005 about the last lynching in Culpeper County and the more recent series establishing the birthplace as Culpeper County of Negro Leagues slugger Pete Hill.
“I never had the luxury of just centering on one tiny piece of research,” she said. “You pull on this little thread and you just get this whole ball of yarn.”
In researching local members of the USCT, Nelson is pouring through military records for answers to questions like what battles was he in, was he killed in battle, did he have pension, and further, what did he do after the war, did he come back to the area, and are his descendants still around?
“You begin to draw these connections,” Nelson said. “Connections with the community, maybe descendants of people who owned those slaves. They’re very interested in this as well because it incorporates part of their ancestor’s lives.”
The African American Heritage Alliance is not about pointing fingers or standing in judgment of history, she added.
“It’s a question of looking at life as it was and understanding that,” Nelson said. “There is so much of it out there that is yet to be known.”
Established organizations like the National Trust, National Park Service and African American Historical Societies in Orange and Fauquier counties are all motivated to tell the story of the African American experience, she noted, mentioning groups with which the Alliance could potentially partner.
“We’re a clearing house,” Nelson said. “We are very hopeful that as we get more information out there people will want to add more.”
Her research thus far has led her to at least one black man buried in Culpeper County who fought for the Union Army and another who was a Buffalo Soldier.
The USCT, in addition, made a very important river crossing in Culpeper, and fought in the area.
“They were thrown in to the heat of battle at the Wilderness. (Brig. Gen. Edward) Ferrero’s division was thrown absolutely in the fight and as he points out in his report they performed admirably. This is their first time in the war … the USCT effectively joined the Union war offensive effort in Culpeper in May of 1864 in Culpeper County,” said another noted historian Clark “Bud” Hall in a previous interview. “When they step across the Rappahannock River, they link with the Army of the Potomac which has now left for the Wilderness. They have crossed and are crossing so once they arrive at Peoli’s Mill on Mountain Run they join the Army of the Potomac. The little mill site is still there.”
Lambert’s research establishes the presence of African American soldiers in Culpeper during the Civil War, and that they possibly fought a battle here, he said. He is all about collaboration as part of the new Alliance.
“There were actually USCT members who were born in Culpeper — we want to look into that. There was a guy in the 54th Mass from Culpeper, William Lightfoot, we want to research that. I want to see those local connections,” Lambert said, noting links abound. “It’s a holistic approach so even though it says African American history obviously we are all intertwined.”
The Alliance is not about dredging up painful history, he added.
“This is about heroes. It’s not about victims. It’s about all of us and our contributions to being where we are today.”

Inaugural event
The African American Heritage Alliance co-hosts a symposium July 21 as part of this summer’s commemorative Civil War events. From 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., noted author Daniel Sutherland, Ph.D., historians John Hennessey and James Bryant will discuss Lincoln’s policies, military shifts, General Pope’s arrival in Culpeper, the looming question of emancipation and slave refugees and the impact on Culpeper. Noted Civil War historian Clark “Bud” Hall hosts a bus tour from 1 to 5 p.m. exploring union encampments and slave refugee escape routes and then later on July 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., the Alliance hosts “An Evening with Dan Sutherland.” Contact Zann Nelson at (540) 547-2395 or m16439@aol.com for details and to make reservations.