Monday Memories: TMA’s Juneteenth celebration spotlighted contributions of African-American Civil War soldiers

More than 179,000 former slaves joined the Union Army to fight in the Civil War after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, and, by the end of the war, nearly 40,000 had died. The Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded to 24 of these soldiers for extraordinary bravery in battle. In this 2005 Blade Archive photo, Richard Trench shows, from left, Emily Howland, Rachel Howland and their mother June Howland, the equipment and clothing used by African American soldiers during the Civil War. He and other Civil War reenactors were part of a Juneteenth celebration hosted by the Toledo Museum of Art, which drew more than 1,000 people.