Connecticut State Library To Present Virtual Program On The Life Of A Black Civil War Soldier

From the Cora J. Belden Library:

Thursday, Jan. 28, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

* This is an External Event sponsored by the Connecticut State Library.* This event is hosted on Facebook Live. Please click here to access the event: https://www.facebook.com/CTStateLibrary

The Connecticut State Library will present Kevin Johnson as William Webb, an African-American Civil War Soldier from Connecticut on January 28, 2021, 12:00 P.M.-1:00 P.M., by Facebook Live. Private Webb was an actual soldier, a native of Hartford. He was recruited in 1863 and served in the Twenty-Ninth (Colored) Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in several battles in Virginia. Johnson’s presentation of Webb is told from an emotional and exciting first-person perspective that vividly illustrates the struggle of African-Americans in the Colored Infantry during the Civil War. He tells of his early life in Hartford, his recruitment and training, and the traumatic final battles of the Civil War. The presentation is based on extensive research in the collections of the Connecticut State Library and the Museum of Connecticut History at 231 Capitol Ave., opposite the State Capitol in Hartford.

Kevin Johnson is an employee of the State Library’s History and Genealogy Unit. He has been presenting William Webb for more than 20 years and has given more than 600 presentations.

The Connecticut State Library provides high quality library and information services to state government and the citizens of Connecticut. It also preserves and makes accessible the records of Connecticut's history and heritage. The focus of the Museum and its collections is Connecticut's government, military and industrial history. Permanent and changing exhibits trace the growth of the State and its role in the development of the nation from the Colonial era to the present. Additional information about the State Library and the Museum of Connecticut History can be found on its Web page at http://www.ctstatelibrary.org

This press release was produced by the Cora J. Belden Library. The views expressed are the author's own.