Monument honoring US Colored Troops moves forward in Rocky Mount

ROCKY MOUNT — A monument honoring 70 Black soldiers who served in the Union Army during the Civil War soon will be erected in Rocky Mount after the Franklin County Veterans’ Memorial Commission approved plans last week in a 6-5 vote.

The monument will be funded through a $285,000 grant from Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, led by two Virginia Tech professors. The organization focuses on people whose stories have been “silenced, denied or excluded” and is funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation.

Earlier this year the Rocky Mount Town Council voted unanimously in favor of placing a monument to honor the Black soldiers at the veterans’ park. The council then directed Mayor Holland Perdue to send a letter asking the Franklin County Veterans’ Memorial Commission to approve placing the monument.

The Black soldiers were part of the United States Colored Troops which were regiments in the United States Army. They were composed primarily of Black soldiers during and after the Civil War.

On Thursday, the commission voted 6-5 in favor of placing the monument at the park following a closed session meeting. A news release provided by Rocky Mount stated there was “brief discussion following the vote” before the meeting was adjourned, but no further details.

Commission Chair Gary Solomon, Vice Chair Eddie Hawks, Vice Chair Bill Melton, and members Olyn Peters and C.B. Reynolds voted against the monument. Solomon, Hawks and Peters resigned from the commission the following day.

The Roanoke Times attempted to contact Solomon and Hawks on Monday but they could not be reached for comment.

The Franklin County NAACP applied for the grant last year, and it was approved in April. The group then worked with the town government to bring the monument to the Rocky Mount Veterans’ Memorial Park.

“It was a project started by them to recognize the 70 troops from Franklin County who fought on the side of the Union,” said Robert Wood, Rocky Mount town manager.

The 70 Black men left Franklin County and signed up to join the fight against the Confederate States Army, based on research done by Franklin County resident Glenna Moore last year. She has presented the information to the Rocky Mount Town Council and the Franklin County Board of Supervisors in recent months.

Renowned sculptor Paul DiPasquale will be designing the monument for the park. He has designed several public sculptures in Virginia including the Arthur Ashe Monument on Richmond’s Monument Avenue and the King Neptune on Virginia Beach’s boardwalk.

“I think it is a great addition,” Perdue said. “I’m hopeful it will draw more attention to the park.”

The monument, once erected, will stand less than a mile from the Confederate statue outside the Franklin County Courthouse. The statue was the flashpoint of considerable debate in 2020. That year, a referendum on the ballot failed to get enough votes to remove the statue.

Perdue said he would like to see support for this monument honoring Black soldiers who served the Union Army. He said the community should support veterans no matter who they are.

“It’s not a political issue, it’s not a race issue, its honoring veterans,” Perdue said.