CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Driving along Cedar Road in Chesapeake you’ll pass a “blink and you’ll miss it” unique piece of history off of Bells Mill Road: it's a Civil War memorial unlike any other in all of Virginia.
The granite plaques and markers are the site of the Unknown and Known Afro-Union Civil War Soldiers Memorial.
In 1862, the United States Congress passed the Militia Act, empowering enslaved individuals to fight for their country. Those who enlisted became part of the United States Colored Troops.
Later renamed the Afro-Union Soldiers, these men made up one-tenth of the Union Army’s fighting force.
Thirteen USCT soldiers are memorialized here. Some became politicians, medal of honor recipients, visionaries, and founders of the community we live in today. Each of them is a hero.
The Unknown and Known Afro-Union Civil War Soldiers Memorial is located at 1001 Bells Mill Road, Chesapeake, Virginia.