Private Ruben Boyd

Pvt. Ruben Boyd

Ruben Boyd was born in Franklin County, Virginia, in 1835. Like many other African American men, he was sold as enslaved labor for the cotton industry in Mississippi. His enslaver may have been “J Boyd,” who reported owning a 25-year-old male, described as a “Negro Waller,” in 1860 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The term “Waller” was used to describe a highly skilled brick or dry-stone builder. Wallers, or bricklayers, were a specialized subcategory of carpenters. Enslaved people with these skills during the early-to-mid-1800s would sometimes be consigned out to large projects, such as canals and railroads. If not consigned out, Boyd would likely have worked on building projects where he lived as well as growing and harvesting cotton.

The Union Army, led by General Ulysses S. Grant, first arrived at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 18, 1862. This marked the beginning of the Vicksburg campaign and a yearlong siege.

Admiral David Farragut demanded surrender, but it would be July 4th, 1863, before the Union forces gained control of the city. At that point, Black men, women, and children began congregating in refugee or contraband camps in the shadow of Grant’s Army.

Technically emancipated under federal law by Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, Boyd enlisted on September 22nd, 1863, in Vicksburg Mississippi, for a term of 3 years and served in the 52nd USCT Infantry Company F. He was originally assigned to the 2nd Mississippi Infantry (African Descent) before being attached to the 52nd USCT regiment. He was described as 28 years old, 5’9” tall, with a light complexion, grey eyes and black hair. His occupation was listed as a carpenter. Pvt Boyd was posted on garrison duty at Vicksburg.

Pvt. Boyd enlisted soon after he had the opportunity but was struck down by illness and died on November 4th, 1863, in the regimental hospital at Camp Hope, a union military post established in Vicksburg. Camp Hope functioned as a hospital and encampment for Black soldiers and refugees during the war. Disease was common among soldiers since living conditions were poor. For both Union and Confederate soldiers, the primary cause of death during the Civil War was disease.

Camp Hope was renamed Camp Nelson two months after Boyd’s death. Beyond serving as a hospital, it developed into a key logistical base and training ground for United States Colored Troops. The camp offered protection to formerly enslaved people seeking safety behind Union lines. It remained, however, overcrowded and unsanitary with limited medical care—factors that contributed to high mortality rates among soldiers stationed there.

Boyd was still owed part of his enlistment bounty at the time of his death, and he had no personal effects listed. Pvt Boyd had paid the U.S. government $37.40 for his Union

uniform. He was charged for the loss of one haversack, which is a canvas bag used to carry rations and personal items, and a canteen, both worth one dollar.

Boyd was honorably discharged because of death. He was buried in Petersburg, Virginia, in Poplar Grove Cemetery, gravesite C-18.

Contributors: Macie Alford, Sarah Plummer, Cathie Cummins, Sarah Barcalow, Maggie Weltens, Anna Cocco, Berk Akalin, Morgan Hickey, and Kat Clement