Seeking a Restoration

The first Civil War recruits marched into Cheltenham's Camp William Penn on June 26, 1863, knowing they might die for their country. But as they prepared to enter the siege that pitted North against South, the U.S. Colored Troops who arrived at the camp that day faced another possible fate that their white counterparts did not. If they survived, would they be enslaved or free? That is how Joyce Werkman, president of the Citizens for the Restoration of Historical La Mott, describes the agonizing dilemma underlying the service of the African American men who volunteered for the Union cause.

This past Saturday the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the U. S. Colored Troops and Camp William Penn was commemorated. Here is the article about it, which includes the comments of Tenth member Joyce Werkman and her efforts to restore a museum.