Another important face (see website)
http://www.stargazettenews.com/newsextra/BHM/020903_1.html

The flight for freedom - In the path of the Underground Railroad, the Twin Tiers were a safe haven for some escaped slaves
By JIM PFIFFER
Star-Gazette

They say God helps those who help themselves.

"... Stephen Atkins Swailes helped himself build a noble life in the mid-1800s. He worked as a boatman on the Chemung Canal in Elmira, fought in the Civil War and became a lawyer, newspaper editor and a state senator.

Swailes didn't just help himself, he helped his race. Swailes was born to a black father and white mother at a time when "colored" human beings were considered property that could be whipped like farm animals.

Maybe that's why Swailes joined the famous all-black 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers in 1863 and fought against the Confederacy. He was one of 24 black men from Chemung County to join the regiment, which became a household name when it unsuccessfully launched a heroic attack against Fort Wagner in South Carolina. Eight of the men from Chemung County died during their Union Army service, and four more were wounded in battle.

Swailes was one of small but increasing number of blacks in the Twin Tiers in the first half of the 19th century. Some were fugitive slaves, who sometimes liked to call themselves "self-emancipated." Others were freemen who had bought or earned their freedom. Some were not born into slavery. ..."

Go to the website to read more!

Peace,
"Guided by the Ancestors"