Richard Myers Hedgman
In the Spring of 1862, the Union Army overtook the Confederates at the siege of Yorktown, VA. 130 miles away in Bristersburg, VA, an enslaved man named Richard Myers Hedgman decided it was time to escape his enslaver, Jesse Peters. So, he began a 20 mile trek towards the Potomac River, crossing the river into Indian Head, Maryland, a border state. From there, he headed for Yorktown, VA... now Union controlled. In Yorktown, he boarded a Union Hospital Ship headed for New York with 20 other Black men. He would live and work as a free man in New York, yet fearful that his enslaver might one day find him.
On July 11th, 1863, the New York City draft riots broke out... 6 days of White men killing black people in the streets, upset with Lincoln over the draft and Emancipation Proclamation, fearful that the formerly enslaved would take their jobs. I imagine Richard Myers Hedgman and those 20 Black men who boarded that ship with him must have been fearful for their lives... their existence aligned directly to the anger of White men. This must have made an impression, because 4 months later, 4 of them enlisted in the 29th Connecticut Colored Regiment; Wilson Essex, John Perry, Stephen Gray and Richard Myers Hedgman.
Fearful his enslaver might find him, Richard dropped his last name and enlisted as Richard Myers. This would become an issue after the war, as it was difficult for him to gain his pension since his name was different. In support, Captain Charles Griswold provided a letter to support him, quoted as saying, “There is not any doubt as to his identity. Like many others in my regiment, he enlisted under an assumed name.”
Dying in 1930 in Upperville, VA, I can't find his burial site, nor the burial site of the other 3 men who enlisted with him. I don't know of any connection made to their current day descendants 𝗔𝗡𝗗 none of their names exist on the 29th Connecticut Colored Regiment Monument at Criscuolo Park in New Haven. Essentially, they've been erased.
My friend Joseph Roby and his research directed me to this story. Thank you Joseph. Learn more about his research on his wiki page here.
