April 2026 Flag of Peace, to Honor The Memory of Corporal James Henry Gooding Veteran of the 54th Infantry Regiment During the Civil War

During the month of April, the 79th Lights for Peace flag to fly at the Fort Taber – Fort Rodman Military Museum honors the memory of Corporal James Henry Gooding, who was born into slavery in North Carolina and went on to attend a prominent school in New York, becoming a prolific writer and serving in the famous 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Gooding would later go on to write a letter to President Abraham Lincoln requesting equal pay for black soldiers serving in the Civil war which resulted in the passing of a law in 1864, after Gooding’s death.

According to the National Park Service website, James Henry Gooding was born into slavery on August 28, 1838, in North Carolina to Sarah Tucker, an enslaved woman. Gooding was purchased, at the age of eight, by James M. Gooding, who was presumed to be his father, and relocated to New York where he attended the New York Colored Orphan’s Asylum, a prominent school and boarding house run by Quaker women. It was here that he received an education. According to the New Bern Historical Society in North Carolina, he loved to read and was considered a good student. It was documented that became a “proficient and prolific writer,” which would help him to cement his legacy.

From 1850 to 1852 he was indentured to work for Albert Westlake, where he worked as an apprentice. Once completing his time, Gooding decided to move to New Bedford, Massachusetts, the whaling capital of the world, to earn a higher wage. On July 18, 1856, at the age of 17, he obtained his Seaman’s Protection Certificate, verifying that he was a citizen of the United States. He falsely listed his birthplace as Troy, NY, instead of New Bern, North Carolina, and began telling people that he was born free. It is believed that he did this to avoid being interrogated. If he was documented as a free northern Black he would be less likely to be interrogated.

Gooding set sail on the Sunbeam, a 3-masted whaling ship. His job as a cook allowed him time to do the things he loved, reading and writing poetry. He would return from his first trip in April 1960, earning over $360. According to the National Park Service website, “Whaling was one of the few industries at that time in which an African-American man could find employment on equal footing with whites.” Gooding made two more trips aboard a whaling ship, so as to earn enough money to propose to Ellen Louisa Allen. They were married in New Bedford, on September 28, 1862, at the Seamen’s Bethel.

Following the Emancipation Proclamation, in January 1863, the War Department allowed Massachusetts Governor, John Andrew, to recruit Black troops. Shortly after on February 14,1863, Gooding enlisted in the newly created 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the first Black regiments to serve in the U.S. Civil War. Black men from across the city, state and country, traveled to Boston to join this historic regiment.

The 54th Infantry Regiment was sent to Georgia and then South Carolina. During this time, Gooding sent letters to the New Bedford Mercury newspaper, providing a description of the South and tracking their progress, which the paper published weekly.

In July 1863, Gooding took part in the assault on Fort Wagner, which was a Confederate fort located at the entrance of the Charleston, SC harbor. Gooding’s description of the assault, which documented the killing of half of the 54th Regiment, proved that black men would stand up and fight, just as much as white men. This was the beginning of the acceptance of black men in the Army. Gooding wrote, “…a regiment of white men gave us three cheers as we were passing them. It shows that we did our duty as men should.”

Gooding wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln in September 1863, complaining of the disparity of pay between black and white soldiers and the fact that blacks were being used as laborers rather than trained infantry. An excerpt from his letter read: “Are we Soldiers or are we Labourers? You caution the Rebel Chieftain, that the United States knows no distinction in her Soldiers. She insists on having all her Soldiers of whatever creed or Color, to be treated according to the usages of War. Now if the United States exacts uniformity of treatment of her Soldiers from the insurgents, would it not be well and consistent to set the example herself by paying all her Soldiers alike?”

Five months later, in February 1864, Gooding fought at the Battle of Olustee, Florida where he was seriously wounded and captured by the Confederate Army. He was sent to Andersonville prison in GA, which was known for its brutal treatment of prisoners, particularly black soldiers. Corporal Gooding was badly beaten and died on July 19, 1864. He was buried in the Andersonville National Cemetery.

According to the NY Times, he “spent his last moments on earth in the hell of a Confederate prison, never knowing whether his country would ever give the men of his race the equality they had gloriously fought to obtain.”

Little did he know that a month before he death, Congress had passed a law in June 1864 granting equal pay to black soldiers. Congress acted to give African American soldiers what they had been promised in the first place: $13 a month, retroactive to the date of their enlistment, instead of the $10 a month they had been paid.

“James Henry Gooding led a remarkable life,” according to the New Bern Magazine. “His eloquent writings serve as a testament to tenacity, courage and determination. His letter and poems are printed in the book On the Alter of Freedom: a Black Soldier’s Civil War Letters for the Front.” He original letter to President Abraham Lincoln can be found in the National Archives.

On Memorial Day in 1897 a memorial was unveiled on the Boston Common, depicting the Massachusetts 54th Regiment. It was the first monument in the country that included African American soldiers in full uniform. James Henry Gooding is remembered as a hero of his time and secured his legacy for his contribution to equal rights and equal pay.