216:, Maryland. Dorsey, who was also known as Cato, may have been a enslaved to Upton Welsh, who died in July 1858. In October 1858, Dorsey was enslaved by Upton Welsh's son, Napoleon B. Welsh. The Welshes lived near Gaither's Siding in Howard County. In 1858, Dorsey and another enslaved person were convicted of burglarizing a store located in Woodbine, Carroll County. He was then sentenced to serve two years eight months in the Maryland penitentiary. Prior to his committal to the prison, Dorsey escaped, but was recaptured in Baltimore. Dorsey completed his prison term in May 1861. At the time, Maryland law provided that upon the expiration of a slave's prison term, they were to be sold at auction and removed from the state. Dorsey was sold as a slave by the State of Maryland to Edward Rider, Jr. of Baltimore County.
332:
260:, moved ahead of his unit during the advance and planted the flag on the Confederate fortifications. When the regiment was forced to pull back, he retrieved the flag and rallied his fellow soldiers for a second attack. In this second assault, the men of the 39th breached the Confederate works and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the defenders. They captured two hundred prisoners and two flags before being pushed back again and ordered to withdraw.
364:
318:
283:
After the war, Dorsey returned to
Baltimore, where he married Mannie Christie on January 4, 1866. In January 1868, he was charged by Baltimore police with stealing a wagon. By 1870 Dorsey had moved to New York City with his wife. In late 1870 he was convicted of stealing carpets from his employer and
31:
252:
lines and charging the enemy positions in the aftermath of the explosion. The blast blew a huge crater in the
Confederate defenses, and white Union soldiers rushed in to attack. Men who entered the crater became trapped as the Confederates regrouped and began firing down at them.
236:
less than two months later, on May 17. Dorsey enlisted in the Army as a free man even though he had not been freed by Rider and was still a slave. (Rider would later be paid a $ 100 bounty as a result of Dorsey's enlistment).
288:, where he resided the rest of his life. He worked at various occupations, including cook, sailor, and laborer. Dorsey died in Hoboken on July 11, 1891, at the approximate age of 55. He was buried at
271:
on
January 1, 1865. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on November 8, 1865, for his actions at the Battle of the Crater and was discharged from the Army a month later, on December 4, while in
305:
Planted his colors on the
Confederate works in advance of his regiment, and when the regiment was driven back to the Union works he carried the colors there and bravely rallied the men.
671:
350:
651:
641:
656:
636:
345:
497:
372:
621:
666:
256:
Dorsey's division, which had been held in reserve, was then ordered to reinforce the attack. Dorsey, serving as the 39th
Regiment's
646:
489:
626:
676:
225:
139:
289:
570:
248:
at a stalemate, Union forces hoped to break the city's defenses by detonating explosives in a tunnel dug beneath the
445:"Enlistment bounty paid to Edward Rider, Jr. for his slave Decatur Dorsey, October 26, 1864 – January 13, 1866"
587:
249:
631:
563:
African
American recipients of the Medal of Honor: a biographical dictionary, Civil War through Vietnam War
192:
272:
95:
661:
337:
293:
80:
213:
46:
611:
394:"Maryland State Archives, Maryland Penitentiary(Prisoner Record) 1811–1869 SE65, Record 5306"
129:
616:
241:
188:
154:
393:
8:
285:
284:
was incarcerated in Sing Sing Prison for three years. After his release, Dorsey moved to
245:
67:
565:. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 29–30.
180:
149:
107:
566:
501:
323:
444:
264:
233:
268:
229:
184:
164:
605:
91:
257:
368:
176:
111:
30:
240:
On July 30, 1864, Dorsey took part in the Battle of the Crater in
209:
296:. Dorsey does not appear to have been survived by any children.
224:
On March 26, 1864, Decatur Dorsey enlisted in
Company B of the
183:
and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the
672:
Burials at Flower Hill
Cemetery (North Bergen, New Jersey)
351:
List of
American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
16:
American soldier in the
American Civil War (1836–1891)
267:
on August 1, two days after the battle, and again to
313:
652:
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
346:List of African-American Medal of Honor recipients
603:
431:, (Johns Hopkins Univ. Baltimore, 1889), p. 126
388:
386:
384:
498:United States Army Center of Military History
373:United States Army Center of Military History
195:and served through the last year of the war.
642:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
191:. Born into slavery, Dorsey enlisted in the
657:Prisoners and detainees of New York (state)
637:African Americans in the American Civil War
490:"Civil War Medal of Honor recipients (A–L)"
381:
484:
482:
299:
29:
479:
472:
470:
468:
466:
464:
462:
439:
437:
604:
35:Medal of Honor, 1862–1895 Army version
560:
459:
434:
622:People from Howard County, Maryland
226:39th United States Colored Infantry
140:39th United States Colored Infantry
13:
667:American people convicted of theft
500:. January 27, 2009. Archived from
371:from websites or documents of the
219:
14:
688:
580:
588:"Home of Heroes: Decatur Dorsey"
367: This article incorporates
362:
330:
316:
175:(c. 1836 – July 11, 1891) was a
647:People from Hoboken, New Jersey
542:
529:
516:
421:
408:
1:
535:"Stolen Property Recovered",
356:
278:
208:Decatur Dorsey was born into
203:
627:19th-century American slaves
198:
193:United States Colored Troops
65:1891 (aged 54–55)
7:
677:People enslaved in Maryland
309:
212:around 1836 in what is now
10:
693:
561:Hanna, Charles W. (2002).
273:Wilmington, North Carolina
396:. Maryland State Archives
338:American Civil War portal
187:, for his actions at the
160:
145:
135:
125:
117:
101:
87:
74:
53:
40:
28:
21:
494:Medal of Honor citations
447:. University of Maryland
294:North Bergen, New Jersey
92:United States of America
81:North Bergen, New Jersey
300:Medal of Honor citation
263:Dorsey was promoted to
47:Howard County, Maryland
427:Brackett, Jeffrey R.,
369:public domain material
307:
232:, but was promoted to
79:Flower Hill Cemetery,
552:, Dec. 10, 1870, p. 2
429:The Negro in Maryland
418:, Oct. 28, 1858, p. 1
303:
118:Years of service
539:, Jan. 9, 1868, p. 4
526:, Jan. 5, 1866, p. 2
504:on September 2, 2012
414:"Convict Arrested",
290:Flower Hill Cemetery
242:Petersburg, Virginia
189:Battle of the Crater
155:Battle of the Crater
632:Union Army soldiers
286:Hoboken, New Jersey
246:Siege of Petersburg
153: •
68:Hoboken, New Jersey
548:"Criminal Notes",
181:American Civil War
150:American Civil War
108:United States Army
476:Hanna, pp. 29–30.
170:
169:
684:
662:American sailors
598:
596:
594:
576:
553:
550:New York Tribune
546:
540:
533:
527:
520:
514:
513:
511:
509:
486:
477:
474:
457:
456:
454:
452:
441:
432:
425:
419:
412:
406:
405:
403:
401:
390:
366:
365:
340:
335:
334:
333:
326:
324:Biography portal
321:
320:
319:
103:
64:
62:
33:
19:
18:
692:
691:
687:
686:
685:
683:
682:
681:
602:
601:
592:
590:
586:
583:
573:
557:
556:
547:
543:
534:
530:
521:
517:
507:
505:
488:
487:
480:
475:
460:
450:
448:
443:
442:
435:
426:
422:
413:
409:
399:
397:
392:
391:
382:
363:
359:
336:
331:
329:
322:
317:
315:
312:
302:
281:
222:
220:Military career
206:
201:
179:soldier in the
152:
110:
94:
83:
75:Place of burial
66:
60:
58:
45:
36:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
690:
680:
679:
674:
669:
664:
659:
654:
649:
644:
639:
634:
629:
624:
619:
614:
600:
599:
582:
581:External links
579:
578:
577:
571:
555:
554:
541:
528:
515:
478:
458:
433:
420:
407:
379:
378:
377:
376:
358:
355:
354:
353:
348:
342:
341:
327:
311:
308:
301:
298:
280:
277:
269:first sergeant
221:
218:
205:
202:
200:
197:
185:Medal of Honor
173:Decatur Dorsey
168:
167:
165:Medal of Honor
162:
158:
157:
147:
143:
142:
137:
133:
132:
130:First Sergeant
127:
123:
122:
119:
115:
114:
105:
99:
98:
89:
85:
84:
78:
76:
72:
71:
55:
51:
50:
42:
38:
37:
34:
26:
25:
23:Decatur Dorsey
22:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
689:
678:
675:
673:
670:
668:
665:
663:
660:
658:
655:
653:
650:
648:
645:
643:
640:
638:
635:
633:
630:
628:
625:
623:
620:
618:
615:
613:
610:
609:
607:
593:September 24,
589:
585:
584:
574:
572:0-7864-1355-7
568:
564:
559:
558:
551:
545:
538:
537:Baltimore Sun
532:
525:
524:Baltimore Sun
519:
503:
499:
495:
491:
485:
483:
473:
471:
469:
467:
465:
463:
446:
440:
438:
430:
424:
417:
416:Baltimore Sun
411:
395:
389:
387:
385:
380:
374:
370:
361:
360:
352:
349:
347:
344:
343:
339:
328:
325:
314:
306:
297:
295:
291:
287:
276:
274:
270:
266:
261:
259:
254:
251:
247:
243:
238:
235:
231:
227:
217:
215:
214:Howard County
211:
196:
194:
190:
186:
182:
178:
174:
166:
163:
159:
156:
151:
148:
144:
141:
138:
134:
131:
128:
124:
120:
116:
113:
109:
106:
100:
97:
93:
90:
86:
82:
77:
73:
69:
56:
52:
48:
43:
39:
32:
27:
20:
612:1830s births
591:. Retrieved
562:
549:
544:
536:
531:
523:
518:
508:February 10,
506:. Retrieved
502:the original
493:
449:. Retrieved
428:
423:
415:
410:
398:. Retrieved
304:
282:
262:
258:color bearer
255:
239:
223:
207:
172:
171:
146:Battles/wars
617:1891 deaths
522:"Married",
250:Confederate
244:. With the
606:Categories
357:References
279:Later life
204:Early life
177:Union Army
112:Union Army
88:Allegiance
61:2024-07-12
400:April 25,
199:Biography
310:See also
265:sergeant
234:corporal
102:Service/
57:July 11,
451:June 5,
230:private
210:slavery
121:1864–65
59: (
44:c. 1836
569:
161:Awards
104:branch
70:, U.S.
49:, U.S.
228:as a
96:Union
595:2010
567:ISBN
510:2009
453:2021
402:2021
136:Unit
126:Rank
54:Died
41:Born
292:in
275:.
608::
496:.
492:.
481:^
461:^
436:^
383:^
597:.
575:.
512:.
455:.
404:.
375:.
63:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.