User:Joe gratts/sandbox

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1st Sergeant Lawson D. Gratz (Gratts)
Lawson D. Gratz was born into slavery on 19th September 1836 to the Benjamin Gratz Family of Fayette County Kentucky. At the age of 26 he Volunteered for service in the 114th United States Colored Troops based in Camp Nelson, Ky. which was the largest Civil War training facility for African Americans in the Southern United States. Gratz could read and write at a early age and that ability would help in his advancement in the Civil War.

It was Fredrick Douglass' speech that motivated many Black former slaves to volunteer for service. The Douglass speech: Once you let the Black Man get upon his person the brass letters U.S., let him get an eagle on his button.,,and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pockets, there is no power on this earth that can deny he has earned the right to citizenship.!

The Black troops faced the same racial discrimination if not worse that they faced on the farms and plantations of this country but the Black troops had to face racism and deal with it to be better soldiers. Many troops did not train for battle as did the 114th U.S.C.T.'s ,other troops were resigned to garrison duty, cleaning latrines and doing everyday slave work around the training facility.

Sergeant Gratz contributed to the Civil War effort by becoming a Black Dispatch by order of the war Department, On three occasions he was missing for up to two months and being charged with being AWOL but on these occasions he would receive his stripes back after his commanding officers received communications from the U.S. War Department's Adjunct Generals Office stating the he was involved in special duty. His command was not aware that he was on special duty working behind confederate lines reporting back to the War Department location of enemy troops, the number of weapons and direction of their movement. Each time before returning to the 114th he would be found recuperating at the Freedman's Hospital in Louisville, Ky. where he was found with malnutrition, pneumonia, injuries and other maladies from being out on his own. Vital information during the Civil War came from Black Dispatches allowing the Union Army to make war altering decisions.

Thomas Speed, a Union Officer and Kentuckian, describes in a letter to his wife ,written February 25, 1865 , the fighting ability of the Kentucky African Americans during the assult." There is a division of Negro troops here, a great many of them from Kentucky. You must not turn up your noise when I say they fight splendidly, i saw them tired yesterday, and our regiment saw it and they all acknowledged that "we have to give it up to them"....these men they fight well!

Battles The 114th U.S.C.T.'S were engaged in:

Petersburg

Richmond on the Bermunda Hundred Front 1865

Hatchers Run

City Point

In pursuit of General Lee, Surrender of General Lee at Appomattox ,April 3-9th