05/25/2026
Today we remember those who died while serving in the armed forces. First celebrated in the years following the American Civil War, Memorial Day became an official holiday in 1971.
This lithograph and sheet music represent only one piece of Memorial Day history. Memorial Day, previously known as Decoration Day, can be traced back to Charleston, SC in 1865. In mid-1864, Confederate forces had converted a Charleston racetrack into a prison, to hold between 6,000 and 10,000 Union captives. They suffered harsh conditions including starvation, disease, and the indignity of being paraded into town, where some Black Charlestonians would sneak pieces of bread to the captives in spite of the risk punishment. At least 257 Union soldiers died during their imprisonment there.
In autumn, under a worsening yellow fever outbreak, Confederate officials relocated the prison to Florence, SC, leaving behind the Union dead in unmarked graves. Black Charlestonians worked to build a proper burial ground at the racecourse, and reconsecrate the soldiers’ graves. They then organized a memorial event held on May 1, 1865. An estimated 10,000 people attended the event which included processions, singing, speeches, and laying of flowers.
Learn more about the role of Black Charlestonians in the founding of Memorial Day in David W. Blight’s book “Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory” and “Denmark Vesey’s Garden: Slavery and Memory in the Cradle of the Confederacy” by Kytle and Roberts.
Both books are available in Regenstein Library:
Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory: https://catalog.lib.uchicago.edu/vufind/Record/12407286
Denmark Vesey’s Garden: Slavery and Memory in the Cradle of the Confederacy: https://catalog.lib.uchicago.edu/vufind/Record/11594050
You can also learn more the 1865 memorial event in a 2020 TIME Magazine article by Olivia B. Waxman titled "The Overlooked Black History of Memorial Day", which includes images of the racetrack and the burial ground from the Library of Congress.
TIME Magazine Article: https://time.com/5836444/black-memorial-day/
The event was covered by the “Charleston Daily Courier” on May 2, 1865 and by the “New York Tribune” on May 13, 1865.
While we are unaware of any primary sources within our Special Collections that document this event, we still wish to share this piece of American history that is continually ignored or erased.
Pictured Items:
1: Lincoln Collection, Currier & Ives Lithographs 1844-90.
2: Lincoln Collection Sheet Music 1836-78
