Jared A. Jackson: U.S. Colored Troops

Born to a free farming family in Bethlehem, New York, Jared A. Jackson (1840-1888) enlisted at age 23 in the newly established "United States Colored Troops" and went on to serve as one of 200 black guards at the notorious Elmira Prison Camp. His experiences as a corporal in the 20th Regiment-U.S.C.T. is not only a story of military service toward the preservation of the Union, but also of the fight for the right of African-Americans to bear arms, to prove their courage and patriotism in the conflict to end slavery in America, and the post-war struggles of African-Americans facing social and institutional racism. Jackson is one of just two known African-American veterans of the Civil War who are buried in Schenectady's Vale Cemetery.