Company "A" (Southard's Independent Company), Pennsylvania (Colored) Infantry was a

United States Colored Troops United States Colored Troops (USCT) were Union Army regiments during the American Civil War that primarily comprised African Americans, with soldiers from other ethnic groups also serving in USCT units. Established in response to a demand fo ...

unit briefly formed during the Civil War in the Union Army. The unit was organized at

Camp William Penn Camp William Penn was a Union Army training camp located in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania from 1863 to 1865 during the American Civil War. The camp was notable for being the first training ground dedicated to African American troops who e ...

, Pennsylvania on July 28, 1864 It was named for its commander, Captain Converse Southard. The unit was disbanded November 14, 1864 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its remaining members sent to reinforce existing U.S.C.T. regiments.

Purpose

Not much is known about this unit, except that it did not see combat. It was enlisted for a period of only 100 days; enlistments of 3 to 4 months or so were usually for emergencies. Many members transferred to other units before the unit was disbanded, including its officers. An army under CSA General

Jubal Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician and military officer who served in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early resigned his ...

had threatened

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

in the beginning of July but had fled to West Virginia by August. The troops may have been raised to serve in the defense of Washington DC or replace Pennsylvanian units sent to Maryland.

Known members

There were 100 men (3 officers, 18 NCOs, 2 Musicians, and 77? Soldiers) assigned to the unit at formation.

Officers

Captain Converse Southard

;(b. Unknown (c.1838) - d. November 20, 1876; 37 yrs old). Converse A. Southard was born in Newark,

Licking County Licking County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. At the 2020 census, the population was 178,519. Its county seat is Newark. The county was formed on January 30, 1808, from portions of Fairfield County. It ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

the son of Joseph and Priscilla Southard. In 1860 Southard was residing in Peoria City,

Peoria County, Illinois Peoria County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States census listed its population at 181,830. Its county seat is Peoria, Illinois, Peoria. Peoria County is part of the Peoria metropolitan area. History Peoria County w ...

and was a clerk before the war. He was commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant in the Illinois Militia on Aug 16, 1861 and was assigned to Company "A", 47th Illinois Volunteer Infantry (IVI). He was promoted to Captain of Company "A", 47th Illinois on May 9, 1862 but resigned his commission on October 29, 1862. He attended the Command School at Camp William Penn from March 30, 1864 and was commissioned as a Captain in the Pennsylvania Militia on July 20, 1864. He was assigned to command a company in what was anticipated to be a full regiment of Colored Troops that was later reorganized as an Independent Company. Southard was given an honorable discharge on August 11, 1864 and was then transferred to Paducah, Kentucky to command Company "C", 119th US Colored Infantry Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops and mustered in on February 28, 1865. He was later charged in July with "Behavior Unbecoming of an Officer"; reportedly he had been found with a woman in his quarters who was undressing. He requested to resign his commission for the good of the service on July 7, was marked Absent Without Leave on August 19, and was mustered out on September 7, 1865. He later resided in Buffalo, New York after the war and died there of "

congestion of the brain "Congestion of the brain" and "cerebral congestion" were medical terms used before hypertension was understood. The term was first proposed by Dr. von Basch in the nineteenth century and was widely used for the next 150 years, and had a major inf ...

" on November 20, 1876. His remains were shipped by rail to his birthplace of Newark, Ohio where he was interred in the Cedar Hill Cemetery on November 23, 1876.

First Lieutenant Enon M. Harris

;(b. March 3, 1839 - d. October 26, 1908; 69 yrs old) Enon Major Harris was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the Pennsylvania Militia on July 20, 1864. He received a transfer to the 8th US Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment. He had the distinction of being one of 27 veteran Navy and Army officers assigned to the Honor Guard for Abraham Lincoln's coffin. They escorted it to and from Independence Hall in Philadelphia and guarded Lincoln while he lay in state. Harris was buried at Arlington Cemetery.

Second Lieutenant George W. Keys

Was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Pennsylvania Militia on July 21, 1864. He transferred to Company A, 41st US Colored Infantry Regiment, U.S.C.T. on September 10, 1864. Promoted to Adjutant on August 14, 1865.

Non-Commissioned Officers

*First Sergeant William Lee *Sergeant Daniel Young *Sergeant Daniel Wright *Sergeant Enoch P. Gibbs *Sergeant Levi M. Hood *Sergeant Crawford Hardy *Sergeant Harvy P. London *Sergeant Anthony Y. Wilson *Corporal Martin Gibbs *Corporal Thomas L. Wesley *Corporal Jacob T. Compton *Corporal Jacob S. Christy *Corporal James Patten *Corporal Isaac P. Brown *Corporal Charles W. Calaman *Corporal Henry P. M’Kinsey *Corporal Ebenezer J. Miller *Corporal Jacob M. Miller

Musicians

*Enoch Ferguson *Abraham Brown

Private Soldiers

*Levi Alexander *John A. Archie *William Brown *Christopher Brown *Jacob Boyer *Philip Bell *William S. Bell *Ephraim Brown *Henderson Brown *William H. D. Bush *William Cain *William Cole *John Clemans *James Chambers *Samuel Christy *Jacob T. Cumpton (b? - d. September 6, 1905) mustered into the company as a private on July 28, 1864. He transferred as a corporal to Company D, 24th US Colored Infantry Regiment, U.S.C.T. on November 14, 1864 and was promoted to Sergeant on February 23, 1865. Cumpton was mustered out with his Company on October 1, 1865. *John Davis *William H. Dixson *Franklin Duffin *Edward Emery *Isaac B. Fray *William Fray *John Giddings *Benjamin M. Gooseberry (b? - d. September 16, 1906) mustered in as a private on July 28, 1864. He transferred as a private into the 41st US Colored Infantry Regiment, U.S.C.T. on September 21, 1864.https://www.afrolumens.com/rising_free/usct/southards.html African American Civil War Veterans - Pennsylvania Burials by Units - Southard's Company, United States Colored Infantry (Pennsylvania) Gooseberry was discharged on completion of his term of service on September 30, 1865. *Benjamin Hill *Ferdinand Hearkless *Daniel Harmon *James Hallow *John Hood *Alfred W. Jones *Andrew Jackson *Cyrus Johnson *Samuel L. Little *Isaac Lewis *Michael Lamborn *Joshua Mason *Lewis L. Nixon *Richard Plater *William H. Paxson *William Platter *George W. Patts *William Prigg *Robert Peck *Isaiah Queman *William H. Rudolph *George W. Richardson *John H. Rozell *William H. Smith *Charles Sheridan *William P. Scott *Henry Smith *James H. Samons *Francis H. Smith *William H. Thomas *Henry Wilson *William H. White *David M. Wells *Joseph Wilkinson *John Wooden *Richard Wilson

References

{{reflist African-American military units and formations of the American Civil War Units and formations of the Union army from Pennsylvania United States Colored Troops Civil War units and formations 1864 establishments in Pennsylvania Military units and formations established in 1864 Military units and formations disestablished in 1864