Washington Lee of Prince George’s County
Washington Lee served during the Civil War as a private in Co F of the 23rd Regiment of the United States Colored Troops.
U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865 | ancestry.com
The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the United States Colored Troops: Infantry Organizations, 20th through 25th;Microfilm Serial: M1823; Microfilm Roll: 62
Enlistment Papers from Compiled Military Service Records | fold3.com
NARA M1823. Compiled military service records of volunteer Union soldiers belonging to the 20th through 25th infantry units organized for service with the United States Colored Troops (USCT).
Summary of Service
Washington was enlisted in Washington DC by Capt. Sheetz for a term of three years in March of 1864. The regiment was organized at Camp Casey from Nov 63 to June 64. The 23rd Regiment guarded wagon trains and then participated in the Siege of Petersburg.
His muster roll indicates he was sick in July & Aug; by September, his service records indicate he was hospitalized as a result of wounds received in action (30 July 1864). This date corresponds to the Battle of Crater when a mine was exploded creating a crater near enemy lines in Petersburg. His discharge papers say that he had been sick with “general dropsy of the kidney” since June 1864.
His records indicate that he spent time in Summit House G.H. in Pennsylvania, PA. By Nov 1865, he was discharged from Whitehall US Gen Hospital in Buckshire Co., PA with a disability.
National Park Service | nps.gov | 23rd Regiment, United States Colored Infantry of UNITED STATES COLORED TROOPS
Hospital Records from compiled military service records | fold3.com
NARA M1823. Compiled military service records of volunteer Union soldiers belonging to the 20th through 25th infantry units organized for service with the United States Colored Troops (USCT).
Additional Information
Based on the information from his service records, Washington Lee was born in Prince George’s County around 1844, where he had worked as a laborer. He was five feet and two and half inches tall with dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin. There are no remarks about his status, either enslaved or free.
His hospital records indicate his nearest relative is Emily Lee who lives in DC.
Certificate of Disability Discharge from compiled military service records | fold3.com
NARA M1823. Compiled military service records of volunteer Union soldiers belonging to the 20th through 25th infantry units organized for service with the United States Colored Troops (USCT).
Further Research Needed:
- Search records in District of Columbia Freedmen’s Records for Emily Lee
- Search 1870 & 1880 census records for Emily Lee in both DC and PG county
- Search 1870 census records for Washington Lee in both DC and PG county
- Search PG Slave Statistics for Emily Lee and Washington Lee
stories of Then 