RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A nonprofit which preserves U.S. battlegrounds has paid $260,000 to purchase land in Virginia where Black soldiers fought in the Civil War.
American Battlefield Trust announced Wednesday that the money will help preserve New Market Heights, which is just outside of Richmond.
The trust assembled the funds through donations and a matching grant from the state. The battle on Sept. 29, 1864, was key to securing a Union position and eventually helped lead to the Confederate surrender of their capital. That day, 14 soldiers of the U.S. Colored Troops earned the Medal of Honor, more than half the number of Black soldiers who were honored for their valor during the entire war.
