People

 

George Moses Horton

 

George Moses Horton (1797-1883?) was born enslaved in Chatham County, North Carolina and would go on to be the first Black man to publish a book in the South. He published three books of poetry during his lifetime: The Hope of Liberty (1829), The Poetical Works (1845) and Naked Genius (1865). In 1865, Horton escaped enslavement, running to Union lines. From there, he traveled alongside the 9th Michigan Cavalry Volunteers until the end of the war, working alongside Captain William H.S. Banks on compiling a book of poems on the Civil War, Naked Genius. 

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9th Michigan Cavalry Volunteers

 

In January 1863, the 9th Michigan Cavalry was organized under Union supervision. The regiment was notably involved with the Atlanta Campaign and the Campaign of the Carolinas, helping the Union gain Confederate territory towards the end of the war. On July 30, 1865, the 9th Michigan Cavalry Volunteers mustered out. 

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Captain William H.S. Banks

 

Captain William H.S. Banks held many titles within the Union during the Civil War, resigning and mustering many times. However, on January 8, 1865, he was commissioned to be captain of Company C, 9th Cavalry. Banks held this position until the regiment mustered out at the end of the war. During this period, Banks met George Moses Horton, a recently escaped enslaved poet. Banks enjoyed Horton’s poetry and would go on to help publish Horton’s third book of poetry. 

 

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General William Tecumseh Sherman

 

General William Tecumseh Sherman was one of the Union’s most influential characters, serving as general during the Civil War. General Sherman is most well known for the Atlanta Campaign which included Sherman’s March to the Sea, a vital part of the Union’s approach to reducing the Confederates' workability and lifespan. The 9th Michigan Cavalry served under General Sherman during the Atlanta Campaign and the later Campaign of the Carolinas.

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Major General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick

 

Below Major General Sherman, Major General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick served as leader of Sherman’s cavalry regiments. During the Civil War, he gained the nickname “Kil-Cavalry” due to the deaths caused by his questionable cavalry charges. 

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Jefferson Davis

 

Jefferson Davis served as president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. Before the Civil War, Davis severed in the United States Senate and House of Representatives for the state of Mississippi.

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General Thomas Jefferson Jordan 

 

General Thomas Jefferson Jordan served in the Union from 1861 to 1865 in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry and the 92nd U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, 3rd Cavalry Division.

Private Henry Anderson

Private Henry Anderson enlisted in the Union on May 20, 1864, joining Company D, 9th Cavalry. He served for three years until mustering out on May 20, 1864, at 21 years old. On May 3, 1865, Anderson was executed by sentence of military commission. George Moses Horton would go on to write a poem about Anderson’s execution, published in Naked Genius.