Belleville Historical Society Sets Flag For Civil War Hero

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The Belleville Historical Society recently paid tribute to the third Black U.S. soldier to be awarded the Medal of Honor, Sgt. Decatur Dorsey.

Earlier this month, on Flag Day, members of the society visited Dorsey’s grave site and set a flag in his honor. Belleville Historical Society member Roger Barnes, a U.S. Army veteran, was among the visitors.

According to the Belleville Historical Society, Dorsey served as the flag carrier for the 39th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of the Crater in Virginia on July 30, 1864, a battle that was depicted in the 2003 movie, “Cold Mountain.”

The Belleville Historical Society stated:

“Sgt. Dorsey was born into slavery in Maryland, and after 20 years, was able to be freed and enlisted in the Union Army. The regimental flag carrier was an especially dangerous position, a prime an easy target for the enemy. Despite intense enemy fire, Sgt. Dorsey charged ahead of his regiment and was able to reach the top of the enemy position and plant the Union flag. His citation reads: ‘Planted his colors on the Confederate works ahead of his regiment and when the regiment was driven back to the Union works, he carried the colors there and bravely rallied the men.’”

Dorsey settled in Hoboken after the war, where he died in 1891 at age 51.

In 2018, the Belleville Historical Society located the gravesite of Dorsey at Flower Hill Cemetery in North Bergen.

The next year, the Belleville Historical Society restored Dorsey's white marble military marker as part of a program initiated by the late Belleville Councilman Kevin Kennedy, which aims to locate, clean and restore the grave sites of New Jersey's Medal of Honor recipients. So far, seven have been completed.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.