Relatives of enslaved man, who helped Union troops, hold ceremony to tout his role in history

Archer Alexander earned his freedom for betraying his enslaver by assisting the Union during the Civil War

The descendants of formerly enslaved man, Archer Alexander, who helped Union soldiers during the Civil War, will celebrate his role in history with a memorial service later this month. 

The event will take place on Sept, 24 at a cemetery in Missouri where he was buried in 1880, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. According to historian Dorris Keeven-Franke, about 12 of Alexander’s descendants will hold the memorial service on the day that marks the anniversary of the date in 1863 that the military declared him a freedman.

“The public doesn’t know Archer, they don’t know what he did, how he saved the lives of many troops and risked his own life,” said Keith Winstead, 71, a great-great-grandson of Alexander.  

The public may also not know that Alexander was the today! 

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