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Sergeant Major Milton Murray Holland was born #OTD in 1844, in Carthage, TX. The son of a white slave owner and an enslaved woman named Martha, Holland was sent north to Ohio to be educated. After the #CivilWar began, he joined the @USArmy as soon as black troops were allowed.
He was assigned to the 5th United States Colored Infantry, which was went to Virginia to become part of the XVIII Corps under General Benjamin Butler. They participated in the @RichmondNPS and @PetersburgNPS Campaign in the summer and fall of 1864.
During the Battle of Chafin's Farm, Holland was serving as Sergeant Major of Company C, 5th USCI when they assaulted New Market Heights. During the battle, he assumed command of the company when all of the officers were killed or wounded.
Holland's courage and leadership were noted by Butler, who said of him, "Had it been within my power I would have conferred upon him in view of it, a brigadier-generalship for gallantry on the field." The following April, he was awarded the #MedalofHonor for his actions.
Holland was one of only 22 African-Americans to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Civil War. He later graduated from @HowardU, becoming one of the first African-American attorneys admitted to argue before the United States Supreme Court. @BlackPastOnline
Holland later went into banking and insurance, becoming founder of one of the first black-owned insurance companies in the country. He retired to Silver Springs, MD and lived there until he died in 1910. He and his wife, Virginia, are buried in @ArlingtonNatl Cemetery.
