Frank Wilson was a 28-year-old laborer living in Jordan when he enlisted Dec. 7, 1863, in the 14th Rhode Island Colored Heavy Artillery.
About 1,800 black soldiers were recruited for the regiment, including many from Upstate New York.
The 14th started operations by setting up defenses of Narragansett Bay. Early in 1864, the 14th was shipped to Texas and eventually was sent to the New Orleans area, primarily for garrison duty.
Along the way, the 14th lost its state identity and was absorbed in the 11th United States Colored Heavy Artillery. Wilson was assigned daily duty in his company “L” as company cook. He was mustered out of the regiment on Oct. 2, 1865, at New Orleans.
Wilson moved to Rome in Oneida County and performed manual labor. He died Feb. 14, 1884, and was buried in the Rome Cemetery.
These stories were adapted from the book "The Opportunity Is at Hand," by Donald M. Wisnoski. The stories are part of The Post-Standard's 2012 observance of Black History Month, which coincides this year with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The Post-Standard observes the month with accounts of Central New York's African-Americans who lived in the Civil War era, especially those who risked their lives as abolitionists and those who fought for the Union.
You can explore Post-Standard reporting from previous years by searching for Black History. Or you can follow these links for a sampling of related stories:
» "Stops on the Road to Freedom," the sites and people in Central New York that played a significant role in the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad.
» "On the Front Lines of History," the story of local blacks' military service.
» "Witnesses: Scars of a Southern Childhood," how Syracusans who grew up in the American South experienced legal segregation before the great changes brought about by the Civil Rights movement a century after the Civil War.