SAMUEL STANTON
Stanton’s military career is the most unique of all the soldiers buried in the Lincoln Cemetery. He served in both the United States Navy and the Union Army. Stanton was born on August 18, 1836 in Gettysburg to Greenberry Stanton and Gettys Ann O’Brien, the daughter of one of the last slaves in Adams County, Sidney O’Brien, who was owned by the founder of Gettysburg, James Getty. On April 1, 1863, at the age of 26, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy at West Lebanon, New Hampshire. During his naval career, Stanton served on the USS Carolina, the USS Powhatan and the USS Rhode Island. Stanton’s was discharged on April 9, 1864, but he was not done serving his country. On September 9, 1864 in Pittsburgh, he enlisted in Company K of the 3rd U.S. Colored Troops under the name Samuel Johnson. From Pittsburgh, Stanton traveled to Jacksonville, Florida to join the regiment and transfer into Company C. He remained with Company C until his discharge on October 31, 1865. When Stanton finished his service, he returned to Gettysburg. Some years later, he married a former Virginian slave named Harriet Jenkins. On April 16, 1912, Stanton was found dead in front of the A.M.E. Zion Church. He left behind his wife, and nine children.
Myers, Betty Dorsey, Segregation in Death: Gettysburg’s Lincoln Cemetery (Gettysburg, PA: Lincoln Cemetery Project Association, 2001) 72.
“Samuel Stanton Dies Suddenly,” Gettysburg Times, April 16, 1912.
Myers, Betty Dorsey, Segregation in Death: Gettysburg’s Lincoln Cemetery (Gettysburg, PA: Lincoln Cemetery Project Association, 2001) 72.
“Samuel Stanton Dies Suddenly,” Gettysburg Times, April 16, 1912.