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.
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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
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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.
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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
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Planted his colors on the
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Dorsey's division, which had been held in reserve, was then ordered to reinforce the attack. Dorsey, serving as the 39th
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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"
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was incarcerated in Sing Sing Prison for three years. After his release, Dorsey moved to
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On July 30, 1864, Dorsey took part in the Battle of the Crater in
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On March 26, 1864, Decatur Dorsey enlisted in
Company B of the
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and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the
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Burials at Flower Hill
Cemetery (North Bergen, New Jersey)
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List of
American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
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American soldier in the
American Civil War (1836–1891)
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on August 1, two days after the battle, and again to
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American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
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191:. Born into slavery, Dorsey enlisted in the
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500:. January 27, 2009. Archived from
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588:"Home of Heroes: Decatur Dorsey"
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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/
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451:June 5,
230:private
210:slavery
121:1864–65
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44:c. 1836
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161:Awards
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70:, U.S.
49:, U.S.
228:as a
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