Civil War statue unveiled in Rocky Mount honors forgotten Black soldiers

Rocky Mount unveils monument to Black Civil War soldiers

Despite the cold, a few hundred people gathered in front of the grounds of the historic First Baptist Church in downtown Rocky Mount on Sunday afternoon, filling parking lots and spilling across Franklin Street.  The crowd stretched nearly a city block in either direction, arriving early to witness the unveiling of the town’s Raising the Shade monument, a towering bronze statue of a Black Civil War soldier, a member of the Union army. The crowd …

Monument for Black Civil War soldiers to be unveiled Sunday in Franklin County

"They were fighting not just for their own freedom. They were fighting for the freedom of others who will be coming after them," said Franklin County NAACP President Eric Anspaugh.

Civil War statue unveiled in Rocky Mount honors forgotten Black soldiers

A monument honoring 70 Black men who fought as members of the United States Colored Troops with the Union during the Civil War was unveiled in Rocky Mount on Sunday. It is one of the first of its kind in the state.