ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The City of Alexandria is dedicating a memorial honoring African Americans who died in the city during the Civil War.
The city says the “Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial” will be dedicated Saturday at the Freedmen’s Cemetery, which was established by Union military officials in 1864. More than 1,700 freed and formerly enslaved African Americans were buried in the cemetery during and after the war.
Officials say several hundred people who are descendants of those buried at the cemetery have been located and many will attend the dedication ceremony.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
