From the November 2, 2013, Springfield (Il) State Journal-Register "We righted a wrong today" by Lauren Leone Cross.
Lewis Martin was buried more than 120 years ago at Spring Oak Ridge Cemetery. The former slave from Arkansas was a member of the 29th USCT and so112 people were at his dedication ceremony.
In 1864, he was at the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg, Virginia where he was wounded and had his leg and arm amputated, after which he was honorably discharged.
Dr. Reed Bontecu, a surgeon based in Washington, D.C., kept a photo collection of his patients and took Martin's photo which later became an iconic symbol of the sacrifices made by black Union troops.
Sadly, that sacrifice went unnoticed when Martin returned to Springfield, Illinois.
--Old Secesh
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