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In December of 1863 and January of 1864, two brothers, very young, 20 and 17 respectively, appear on the muster rolls of the 1st Regiment, United States Colored Cavalry (U.S.C.C), one of the handful of African American cavalry regiments that served in the Civil War. Their names were Isaac and Robert Forbes. Granddad Isaac is my third great grandfather, and Robert, his brother, is my granduncle, three times removed. Follow their journeys through the Civil War by clicking on each of their names.

Educational Resources

Circa 1910: Veterans of the Civil War, probably members of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.). From Encyclopedia Virginia and Special Collections, University of Virginia https://encyclopediavirginia.org/garcrop/

1910, Norfolk, VA: Veterans of the United States Colored Troops who served in the Union Army, probably members of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.). From Encyclopedia Virginia and Special Collections, University of Virginia https://encyclopediavirginia.org/garcrop/

Uncle Robert's tombstone
Camp Hamilton, 1861
An AI characterization of Robert Forbes, 1st Regiment United States Colored Cavalry

Robert Forbes' Story 
My Grandfather's Granduncle; my 3rd Great-Granduncle

1st Regiment Colored Cavalry, Company A, Company A Descriptive Book
1st Regiment Colored Cavalry, Company A, Company A Descriptive Book
Occupation, Company A Descriptive Book
Camp Hamilton During the Civil War, 1861
Apple Maps Image of Fort Monroe and the Southern Portion of Hampton, Virginia
The author at Camp Hamilton, 2023
Camp Hamilton Historical Marker
The Emancipation Oak
Present
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Click each

image to learn

more!

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Isaac Forbes' Story 

My Grandfather's Great-grandfather; my 3rd Great-Grandfather

This is me, Rachel Forbes
My dad, Robert Forbes, Jr.
My granddad, Robert Forbes, Sr.
Granddad Isaac's deposition for his pension
Civil War recruitment poster for African American men
Company F Descriptive Book, Isaac Forbes
The Great Dismal Swamp
(L) Edward Augustus Wild; (R) Title: Colored Troops, Under General Wild, Liberating Slaves
A Cavalryman's Schedule
Detachment muster roll, Isaac Forbes; unidentified soldier in Civil War Union attire
Muster Roll, Isaac Forbes, indicates compensation due
Struggles of War, City Point, Virginia
Richmond Falls to the Union, April 1865
Co. F Muster-out Roll, Isaac ForbesMuster-out Roll
9th Cavalry Regiment, The Buffalo Soldiers

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©2024 by Rachel Forbes

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