Black Maryland Militia Member from the War of 1812 Recognized with Gravestone

FREDERICK, Md. – A Black militia member who served the state of Maryland during the War of 1812, was recognized and honored with a headstone befitting his service to his state and country at St. John’s Cemetery along East Street, July 27, 2024.

Maryland Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Craig Hunter, special assistant for strategic initiatives for the adjutant general, and Dr. Julie Shively, Maryland National Guard command historian, attended the gravestone dedication with others from the community.

“Samuel Neale is one example of the thousands of Black Marylanders who participated in defending Baltimore in hope that they, too, would one day be free and equal,” said Shively. “Their story will now be included to complete the history of the Maryland National Guard.” 

Samuel Neale, who was possibly enslaved, served as steward then surgeon’s aide to Dr. William Hammond and was armed during the battle against British army. Hammond was a surgeon in Tilghman’s Regiment of Cavalry, also called the 1st Cavalry District of Washington and Frederick Counties, or the American Blues. 

When Tilghman’s Regiment was ordered to Benedict in late August 1814 to harass the British army that threatened D.C., Hammond and Neale provided medical care to the soldiers. After the American defeat at Bladensburg, Tilghman’s cavalry with Hammond and Neale rode to Baltimore and reconnoitered the western approaches to the city before and during the Battle of Baltimore. During that time, Neale was wounded in the hand by a gunshot when a pistol misfired.

In 1870, Neale successfully applied for a state pension from his service during the War of 1812. 

“Neale was the only Black American veteran of the war to receive a Maryland pension for his service,” said Mr. Lou Giles, president of the Society of the War of 1812 in Maryland.

Approximately 1,200 Black Marylanders officially served the American military in some capacity during the war, according to Giles.

The Society of the War of 1812 in Maryland dedicated three years to finding Neale’s unmarked grave and petitioning the Veterans Administration to fund a military headstone at the burial site. The Society of the War of 1812 in Maryland, St. John’s Cemetery of Frederick, and Lough Memorials, Inc. partnered to provide and install a headstone to recognize Neale’s service.

Maj. Gen. Paula C. Lodi, commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command and Col. Christopher M. Chung, commander of U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Detrick, also attended the dedication.