Thread by @AliWatkins, I left flowers at a grave today in Fleetwood, PA, something I’ve [...]

I left flowers at a grave today in Fleetwood, PA, something I’ve been meaning to do for a while. I’d like to tell a story about it. History nerds and Civil War buffs in particular, follow along.

Charles W. Clymer
Co. A-24th U.S. Colored Infantry
Birth Unknown
Died Feb. 21, 1911

I had a big Civil War obsession phase as a kid. My parents took us to Gettysburg, we watched the movies, read the books. My parents encouraged me to learn about the USCT, or the U.S. Colored Troops, as they were called then — regiments of Black soldiers who fought for the Union.

Through a contact at the local historical society, my mom found that a Black Union soldier was buried at St. Paul’s Union Church Cemetery in Fleetwood. We visited the grave. It was a special moment that I remember now, vividly. But years went by, I moved away and forgot.

Until last year. I was on a run at home, and randomly remembered all this as I went by the cemetery. I veered in and started walking through the stones (some as old as the early 1700s!). I remembered the stone in question was small, and I thought it was a bit set apart.

I saw it, so far at the end of the cemetery I wondered if it was even fully on the property. Charles W. Clymer. The stone was hardly readable, the “Soldier” medallion was bent. It felt entirely forgotten and it really bothered me.

This is an incredible piece of U.S. history, and so deeply relevant as this country reckons with its racist past (and present).

So I decided to try to find out who Charles Clymer was. With the help of some Berks County history buffs, I know now. More than I did, at least.

Charles Washington Clymer was born in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in October of 1846. On his paperwork for the Army, he lists his occupation as a laborer. He had brown eyes and black hair, and a “circular” scar on his chest.

At 19, Mr. Clymer was mustered into the Union infantry as a private in January of 1865, and mustered out in October of that year, when the USCT were disbanded. His regiment spent most of its time in Virginia, helping to manage the end of the war.

I’ve had difficulty piecing together the time between the war and his death. He may have had a brother, and the 1910 census lists him as widowed, according to one of the online sleuths who helped me out.

But he became well-known in the Berks County area. Someone’s parent recalled Mr. Clymer was bilingual, and had spoken fluent Pennsylvania Dutch. He was a well-known local musician and worked for a long time as a chimney sweep.

It’s unclear where Mr. Clymer lived, but on the night of February 21, 1911, he asked the owner of the Moselem Hotel, in Fleetwood, if he could sleep in the hotel’s shed. The owner said yes, and Mr. Clymer laid down in the straw, alone but for his small pet dog.

The next morning, Mr. Clymer was found dead. In an article at the time, it said his pet dog was lying across him when he was found. In his pocket was 60 cents, a pocket knife, & a notebook, where he wrote about Evansville, PA, a nearby town where he was known to have spent time.

The county coroner determined he died of apoplexy (a stroke). He was 75 years old.

Mr. Clymer's body was taken by the local funeral home, which is still around. He was buried in the St. Paul’s cemetery in Fleetwood, in a corner, far removed from the other graves. Why? The answer, according to local chatter, is what I feared but knew was likely true.

Charles Washington Clymer, a Black U.S. Union Army vet who served his country in one of its darkest hours, was not allowed to be buried around white graves. He remains set apart, even as markers have expanded toward him. His is the furthest grave toward the cemetery’s east end.

People should know Charles Clymer lived, and died, and is buried here. People should make absolutely sure that this racist intention — of erasing him, of setting him aside, of disregarding his service — was in vain.

There’s been a request to put a DOB on Mr. Clymer’s stone. I’m not sure if other medallions could be added. And I don’t really know what comes of sharing this. But it felt important to give Charles W. Clymer, and this little stone at the edge of a Fleetwood, PA cemetery, a story.

Thanks for reading. And thanks to the Berks County History Buffs for helping me find so much. If anyone has additional historical context, on the USCT or otherwise, please add! I’m an armchair history hobbyist and like learning from people smarter than me.

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