The 8th U.S. Colored Troops, along with other U.S. Colored Troops, were present at General Lee's surrender at the Appomattox courthouse. Not all who are buried here are veterans. Take for example Abraham Bryan, a farmer in Gettysburg who left his land during the battle. Union forces occupied Bryan's farm during Pickett's Charge. After the battle, the Government paid Bryan $15 for damages.

Many of the town's earliest black residents were re-interred when the towns "Colored Cemetery" was cleared in 1906 to provide space for new houses. All totaled, an estimated 198,000 African Americans risked all to fight for their rights, their families and the Union.