Sergeant Henry Adams, A Soldier's Story
Sergeant Henry Adams, A Soldier's Story
Henry Adams was born enslaved in 1843 in Jasper County, Georgia. His enslavers later relocated him to a plantation in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, where he remained throughout the Civil War. Adams gained his freedom on May 26, 1865—the same day Shreveport, Louisiana, surrendered to Union forces—marking one of the last formal surrenders of the Confederacy.
Following emancipation, Adams initially worked as a deliveryman. Like many formerly enslaved people, he encountered limited opportunities and systemic resistance to economic independence. Frustrated by the lack of meaningful work and security, he enlisted in the United States Army in September 1866. He was assigned to the 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment and served across the southern states during the turbulent years of Reconstruction. Adams completed his enlistment and was discharged in 1869.
After leaving the Army, Adams returned to the Shreveport area, where he worked as a woodcutter and plantation manager. During this period, he became increasingly involved in organized efforts to improve conditions for formerly enslaved people. In 1870, Adams and other community leaders formed an organization known simply as The Committee, dedicated to advocating for civil rights, personal safety, and economic opportunity amid widespread intimidation and violence.
By 1874, recognizing that meaningful reform in the South appeared increasingly unlikely, the Committee evolved into the Colonization Council, later associated with the Exoduster movement. Adams and his colleagues believed that relocation offered a path to autonomy and dignity when justice could not be secured locally. He became a leading voice encouraging the establishment of Black settlements in Kansas, promoting migration as a means of escape from entrenched oppression.
Adams’ activism eventually made life in Shreveport untenable, and he relocated to New Orleans. From there, he testified before a United States Senate committee, describing conditions in the post-war South and advocating for safe, self-governed communities for people of African descent. When the Kansas colonies struggled, Adams turned his attention toward the possibility of reestablishing a settlement in Liberia, reflecting the depth of his disillusionment with Reconstruction’s failures.
After 1884, historical records of Sergeant Henry Adams disappear. The details of his later life and his death remain unknown. What endures is his legacy as a soldier of Reconstruction and a determined advocate who sought freedom not only for himself, but for his people, long after the war had formally ended.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
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