Unit: Washington Artillery, 90-day unit from Pottsville, Pennsylvania. A unit of the "First Defenders" that marched to Washington in April 1861. Biddle was the personal servant of company commander Captain James Wren, and although not an enlisted man, wore the same Union army uniform as the other soldiers.
Burial Location: Bethel AME Church Cemetery, Pottsville, Schylkill County
Notes: Upon detraining with his unit in Baltimore, the Washington Artillery was assaulted by the pro-Southern mobs in Baltimore. Biddle, as an African American "soldier" was one of the first hit by bricks thrown by the mob and sustained serious injuries. He refused medical attention and remained with his unit through the entire 90-day enlistment period. He returned to Pottsville with the unit.
Image from Library of Congress, photographed by W.R. Mortimer, Pottsville, PA between 1861 and 1864. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print; LOT 15158-1, no. 1195 [P&P])
Sources
Pennsylvania African Americans in the Civil War -- Main Page
Afrolumens Project Home | Enslavement | Underground Railroad | 19th Century | 20th Century
Copyright 2023, Afrolumens Project.
This page was last updated on July 25, 2023.