Showing posts with label Confederate prison camp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Confederate prison camp. Show all posts

Friday, May 23, 2014

Memorial Day - started by former slaves on May 1, 1865 in Charleston, SC


May 27, 2013 
 

KNOW YOUR HISTORY: Memorial Day was started by former slaves on May, 1, 1865 in Charleston, SC to honor 257 dead Union Soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp. They dug up the bodies and worked for 2 weeks to give them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. They then held a parade of 10,000 people led by 2,800 Black children where they marched, sang and celebrated.

Thanks to Abstrakt Goldsmith for this nugget of history that most of us never learned in school.