Before the Battlefields: New Haven Green and the Black Soldiers Who Marched Toward Freedom

By Descendants of Heritage and Freedom

Today, New Haven Green is a familiar gathering place in the heart of Connecticut’s Elm City. But in March 1864, it witnessed an extraordinary moment in the history of Black military service.

As the Civil War continued, men of the 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment prepared to leave their homes and families to join the Union war effort. They had trained in New Haven’s Fair Haven neighborhood, answering the call to serve a nation that had not yet extended equal rights to Black Americans.

Their journey was about more than military service. For many, the war represented an opportunity to help destroy slavery and claim a fuller measure of freedom and citizenship.

A Historic Farewell

Connecticut History dates the regiment’s state-flag presentation in Fair Haven and departure to March 19, 1864. Isaac J. Hill’s 1867 account describes the regiment marching through New Haven and halting in the public square, where friends and local families visited the soldiers before they continued toward the waterfront.

The men boarded a vessel bound for Annapolis, Maryland. Their departure marked the beginning of a journey that would eventually take them to the battlefields of Virginia.

From Connecticut to Richmond

The 29th Connecticut went on to serve in South Carolina and Virginia, participating in operations around Petersburg and Richmond.

When Richmond fell to Union forces in April 1865, members of the 29th were among the first Union troops to enter the Confederate capital.

Their participation in the Union war effort helped demonstrate the determination, courage, and military contributions of Black soldiers during the Civil War.

Preserving a Family Legacy

Daniel Stanley Lathrop, the twice-great-grandfather of DHF’s founder, Dawn Lathrop-Goode, served in the 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry. His first cousin, Thomas Lathrop, also served in the regiment and is part of Dawn’s ancestral family. Their service has been verified through family research. Daniel Stanley Lathrop’s service is also discussed in WSHU’s public account of his family story.

Their military service represents a direct connection between the history of Black Civil War soldiers and the descendants who continue preserving their stories today.

Remembering Their Legacy

In 2008, a monument honoring the 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry was dedicated in New Haven’s Criscuolo Park, near the grounds where the soldiers trained.

The monument serves as a lasting tribute to the men who answered the call to serve and to the families and communities that supported them.

For Descendants of Heritage and Freedom, preserving these histories means remembering not only where soldiers fought, but also the communities they left behind and the families who carried their legacies forward.

The story of New Haven Green reminds us that important chapters of Black military history unfolded not only on distant battlefields but also in the neighborhoods, streets, and public spaces of our own communities.

Lineage. Legacy. Freedom.

Historical Sources and Further Reading

• Isaac J. Hill, A Sketch of the 29th Regiment of Connecticut Colored Troops (1867)
• Connecticut History — The 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment Leaves for War
• Connecticut State Library — Civil War Enlistment Records
• Connecticut History — The 29th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers Fought More than One War (regimental history and photograph attribution)
• WSHU — Family Stories: Daniel Stanley Lathrop
• Connecticut Freedom Trail — 29th Colored Regiment Monument
• Library of Congress — Beaufort, South Carolina. 29th Regiment from Connecticut (photograph catalog record)