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In 1905, Battles had a stroke, which left him partially paralyzed and forced him to close his business. He then applied for a pension, receiving $ 12 per month. Battles died two years later, on April 20, 1907, in
Moorhead. His obituary described him as "a quiet, unobtrusive man, was respected by all
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In 2018, the
Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County spearheaded a project to create a monument in honor of Felix Battles in Moorhead. Artist and local historian Markus Krueger designed the monument - a life-sized steel stencil of an African American Union Civil War soldier.The monument and
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faced enslavement or execution. The programming director of the
Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County commented, "He was free, but he risked it all again to join the Union Army... He returned to the South knowing that the Confederacy often did not allow African American soldiers to
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In 2021 an advisory committee of Fargo-Moorhead area
African American leaders was formed to guide the project and choose a site for the statue. The site chosen was Felix Battles’ old front yard, which happens to be the Center for Business at
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surrender. They were often killed when trying to surrender, or their bodies were sometimes mutilated and put on display." Battles served in
Company G and reached the rank of corporal. The regiment fought in the
89:. In August that year, Battles enlisted in Saint Paul. He did so as one of about 200,000 black men serving in the military during the Civil War – and at great risk to himself. Black soldiers captured by the
105:. Battles later began work as a barber, one of the few business options available to him at the time as an African American. Initially, he was a traveling barber. In the 1870s he and his family moved to
109:, where they settled, becoming some of the city's first permanent residents. He started his own barbershop in town called the Jay Cooke Barbershop, named after Union war effort and railroad financier
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who knew him." Battles' funeral was held on April 23, 1907, with a number of war veterans in attendance. He was buried in
Riverside Cemetery, Moorhead.
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described Kate as "always looking around to find some poor sick person to whom she can give a helping hand." She died in 1902 at 50 years of age.
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620:"Minn. Historical Society: Legacy Amendment Supports $ 315,731 in Small Grants to History Organizations Throughout Minnesota"
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Battles and his wife, Kate, had two children – Julia, who died in childhood, and
Richard (1871–1916).
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326:"The Fight for Equal Rights: A Recruiting Poster for Black Soldiers in the Civil War"
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264:"Moorhead statue to commemorate Black Civil War hero nearing finish line"
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Little is known about
Battles' early life. He was born into slavery on a
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Freeman, Elsie; Burroughs
Schamel, Wynell; West, Jean (February 1992).
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its accompanying interpretive panels are intended to teach people that
593:"Moorhead prepares to raise a monument to a long forgotten soldier"
675:"MSUM installs statue of historic Moorhead resident on campus"
214:. Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County – via
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After
Battles' military service, he worked for a time on the
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as a teenager, though it is not known how or exactly when.
338:(2). Revised and updated in 1999 by Budge Weidman: 118–120
646:"Moorhead unveils monument to Black civil war veteran"
473:North Dakota, U.S., Cemetery Records, 1877-1999
22:(early 1840s – April 20, 1907) was an American
185:Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County
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79:18th United States Colored Infantry Regiment
752:African Americans in the American Civil War
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762:African-American history of Minnesota
673:Wallevand, Kevin (November 3, 2023).
233:"Battle Unit Details - The Civil War"
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777:19th-century American businesspeople
757:Union Army non-commissioned officers
732:People from Shelby County, Tennessee
490:The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican
486:"Negro Born Here in 1871 Died Today"
475:. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com, 2021.
444:The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican
393:The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican
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626:. Washington, D.C. January 20, 2024
208:Krueger, Markus (August 17, 2021).
150:Minnesota State University Moorhead
85:formed in Missouri to serve in the
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747:Military personnel from Tennessee
362:"Soldier Details - The Civil War"
262:Evanella, Thomas (July 5, 2020).
422:"Taps Sounded for Old Soldier".
591:Gunderson, Dan (July 6, 2023).
492:. November 23, 1916. p. 10
291:Browning, Dan (July 29, 2018).
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737:19th-century American slaves
154:Minnesota Historical Society
83:United States Colored Troops
69:As a young man, he lived in
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528:. March 26, 1892. p. 2
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395:. April 22, 1907. p. 4
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556:"Vital statistics: deaths"
367:U.S. National Park Service
238:U.S. National Park Service
30:veteran who served in the
16:American Civil War soldier
181:"Felix Battles Monument"
103:Northern Pacific Railway
56:Shelby County, Tennessee
742:American former slaves
389:"An Old Resident Dead"
54:in the early 1840s in
624:Targeted News Service
71:Saint Paul, Minnesota
561:The Saint Paul Globe
440:"Consigned to Grave"
578:Chronicling America
574:Library of Congress
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425:Moorhead Daily News
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107:Moorhead, Minnesota
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654:. November 3, 2023
64:gained his freedom
428:. April 25, 1907.
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75:Mississippi River
60:William C. Dawson
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707:Find a Grave
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244:January 31,
190:January 31,
142:Clay County
91:Confederacy
716:Categories
525:The Appeal
160:References
128:The Appeal
87:Union Army
62:. Battles
111:Jay Cooke
46:Biography
28:Civil War
651:MPR News
598:MPR News
311:ProQuest
767:Barbers
679:InForum
268:InForum
216:YouTube
81:of the
135:Legacy
121:Family
686:2024
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