TCNJ

29 FALL 2022 Pennsylvania. As horses thundered across the field and soldiers launched into "battle," Ward was enthralled. "It was like walking into a time machine," he says. "It was better than any movie you could ever see." Within hours, he'd marched over to a vendor selling uniforms. "I was in the battle by the end of the day." The experience marked a turning point in Ward's life as he realized that too many people were unaware of the scope and significance of Black soldiers' roles in the Civil War; according to the National Archives, by the end of the war, 179,000 Black men had served in the army, with an addi- tional 19,000 serving in the navy. "There were thousands of stories that needed to be told," Ward says. "Once I realized that, I knew it was beyond a hobby. It was passing on vital information. When you realize your ancestors fought in a civil war, that they were decorated heroes, it makes you stand up straighter. It changes your perspective. So reenactment is not a hobby for me. It's a mission." Since co-founding the 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops in 2001, Ward has traveled to events and parades up and down the East Coast, and even marched in President Barack Obama's first inauguration. His deep belief in the power of these stories is why Ward frequently arrives at the Locust Hill Cemetery in his regiment uniform. When he hosts visi- tors, he is not only the project's leader but a reminder of history too often overlooked. And so, on a recent summer day, despite the heat, Ward could be found at the edge of the Assunpink, slipping a goose feather into the brim of his wool cap as TCNJ biology students cast buckets into the water. The data gathered at Locust Hill by faculty and students — recording everything from the fish in the creek to the birds over- head — has laid the foundation for long-term studies of the site's ecosystem as the cemetery and surrounding land is restored. Biology professor Matthew Wund says the opportunity for students to meet Ward is as valuable as their exposure to fieldwork. "Students are often asking, 'What am I going to be?'" Wund says. "Algie spent his career as a chemist and scientist, and they can see him as a role model. They don't have to be just one thing in their lives. They're not just defined by their careers. They can impact their local and global commu- nities in many ways." There is much more to be done at Locust Hill. Ward is chasing grants to support the museum's development and gathering documents to secure the site's designation in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. But in the meantime, he has built a presence in the neighborhood, he hosted a graduation barbecue for local students in June, and assembles the 6th Regiment each Sunday morning to practice drills in the cemetery. Sometimes children gather to watch, and Ward welcomes them to the formation. He hopes they will one day continue the work he has begun at Locust Hill, an effort that may yet serve as an anchor for East Trenton. "It will mean I have done something that would last beyond me," he says. "I will have played a part in the uplifting of my community." ■ Liz Leyden is a writer in New Jersey and a frequent contributor to TCNJ Magazine.

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