He traveled to Oswego to enlist and then was sent to Elmira for training. Russell was assigned to a detachment of recruits for the 8th United States Colored Troops, a regiment organized at Camp William Penn in Philadelphia.
The 8th United States Colored Troops left Philadelphia on Jan. 16, 1864, for Hilton Head, S.C. After a two-week stay, the regiment was transferred to Florida. There, the 8th USCT was in its first battle, the Battle of Olustee, a Union defeat. The 8th suffered 310 casualties, including the commanding officer.
From Florida, the regiment was sent to Virginia where it fought at Bermuda Hundred, Chaffin’s Farm, Darbytown Road, and the siege of Petersburg. The regiment was present at the fall of Petersburg and the pursuit of Lee's army to Appomattox. On May 24, 1865, the 8th sailed for duty to Texas. The soldiers were stationed at Ringgold Barracks and patrolled along the Rio Grande. On June 29, 1865, Russell was promoted to sergeant. In November 1865, the regiment returned to Philadelphia where it was mustered out of service.
With the war's end, Russell returned to Madison County. On April 17, 1869, he married Kitty Martin in Waterville.
The Russells moved to Clinton in Oneida County about 1871. Russell worked for faculty at Hamilton College, including Dr. Oren Root, whose son, Elihu, became U.S. Secretary of State under President Theodore Roosevelt.
Russell died of stomach cancer Nov. 24, 1906, at age 64 and was buried in Peterboro.
This story was adapted from the book "The Opportunity Is at Hand," by Donald M. Wisnoski as 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.