Small in stature yet formidable in his resolve, quiet and unassuming Christian Abraham Fleetwood abandoned his bookkeeping job in Baltimore the moment Black men were allowed to enlist. Born free in 1840, Fleetwood’s father, Charley, worked for John C. and Anna Brune, a prosperous Baltimore family. John groomed Fleetwood for a career in the sugar trade, sending him to Liberia and other African nations to study the commodity. After returning, Fleetwood attended Ashmun Institute in Oxford, Pa., and graduated valedictorian in 1860.
With the war’s outbreak, Brune sided with the secessionists and fled to Canada. Meanwhile, the Emancipation Proclamation opened the door for African Americans to join the army. Fleetwood enlisted in the 4th U.S. Colored Infantry in the summer of 1863 and, within two weeks, rose to sergeant major—the highest rank then available to Black soldiers.
On September 29, 1864, along the frontlines of Petersburg and Richmond, the 4th and other units attacked a well-entrenched enemy position on New Market Heights.
The 4th, 350 strong, advanced into a heavy fire, its 12-man color guard led by two sergeants—one grasped the regimental standard and the other the Stars and Stripes. Early in the action a musket ball tore into one of the wooden staffs, snapped it in two, and passed through the body of the sergeant who carried it. The remaining sergeant, Alfred B. Hilton of Company H, caught the other flag and pressed on.
The advance continued and the firing intensified. A bullet hit Hilton in the leg and as he fell he held up the flags and shouted: “Boys, save the colors!” recounted Fleetwood. A corporal grabbed the regimental flag and Fleetwood the American banner before they touched the ground.
About this time, Fleetwood observed, “It was very evident that there was too much work cut out for our regiments. Strong earthworks, protected in front by two lines of abatis and one line of palisades, and in the rear by a lot of men who proved that they knew how to shoot and largely outnumbered us. We struggled through the two lines of abatis, a few getting through the palisades, but it was sheer madness, and those of us who were able had to get out as best we could. Reaching the line of our reserves and no commissioned officer being in sight, I rallied the survivors around the flag.”
A bullet passed between my legs, cutting my bootleg, trousers and even my stocking, without breaking the skin.
A total of 177 men became casualties, about half the regiment. Fleetwood emerged without a scratch. “A bullet passed between my legs, cutting my bootleg, trousers and even my stocking, without breaking the skin.”
In April 1865, Fleetwood received the Medal of Honor for saving the flags. Fleetwood posed for his carte de visite portrait with the star-shaped medal pinned to the chest of his uniform coat. He also donned his Butler Medal, awarded to him for courage by Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler, the commander of the Army of the James, to which the 4th belonged.
After the war, Fleetwood remained vocal about preserving Black soldiers’ legacies. In an 1895 speech, he lamented that history was already erasing their contributions. Yet, he also celebrated their perseverance, reminding younger generations of their sacrifices. He died in 1914, just before the 50th anniversary of the battle where he made history.
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