Alexander was born March 8, 1825 in Norfolk, Virginia. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. Colored Troops during the Civil War, he was the first black Major in the United States Army. The child of George C. Clement, an African Methodist Episcopal priest, and Emma Clarissa Clement, Rufus Early Clement was conceived in 1900 . The couple settled in Ontario in 1835 before Abbott was born. As a reporter with the Evening Star observed, The appearance of a colored man in the room wearing the gold leave epaulettes of a Major, wasthe occasion of much applause and gratulation with the assembly.. Watkinsville. Alexander Thomas Augusta. In 1865, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, becoming the armys highest-ranking Black officer at the time. DHA Will Serve Anytime, Anywhere Always, Says New Director, Defense Health Agency Change of Directorship - Remarks from DHA Director Maj. Gen. Telita Crosland, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Visiting Nurse Program Celebrates 100 Years, The Human Bomb: How Air Force Surgeons Made Medical History in Vietnam, Monitor Your Diabetes and Health Daily, One Step at a Time, How to Exercise and Train During this Winter's Extremes, DHA Director: Technology Helps to Meet the Patients Where They Are, Your Pain on a Scale of 1-10? Edward Bates, the Attorney General in President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet, belittled the incident and senators who supported Sumner. Senate. Born a freedman in Norfolk, Virginia, Augusta studied under private tutors and, in 1856, earned a medical degree from Trinity Medical College in Toronto. "Alexander Thomas Augusta Soldiers and White Officers (New York: Free Press, 1990); Herbert M. To know the life, times, and military career of the man buried here is to better understand why Americans fought a civil war. Despite being denied recognition as a physician by the American Medical Association, Augusta encouraged young black medical students to persevere and helped make Howard University an early success. The latter remembered that the White House was "a blaze of light" for the evening event as the Marine Band played and the two doctors threaded their way through the city's elite to meet the president. Colored Troops. Some documents are presented in Portable Document Format (PDF). (Jan 7, 1863 letter from Dr. Augusta to President Lincoln/ photo courtesy National Archives and Records Administration). By the 1840s he had moved to Baltimore, Maryland, to begin studying . He was also the first African American head of a hospital (Freedmens Hospital) and the first black professor of medicine (Howard University in Washington, D.C.). Myra Adele Logan, M.D., graduated from New York Medical College with an M.D. [5] In March 1865, he was awarded a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel, and left the military service the following year at that rank.[2]. Rep. Com. During the American Civil War, Augusta was appointed surgeon of colored volunteers . Despite his accomplishments, Dr Augusta was repeatedly refused admission to the local society of physicians. I therefore most respectfully request that the offender may be arrested and brought to punishment. Augusta left Canada for the West Indies in about 1860, returning to Baltimore at the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861. Boileau, J. https://www.historynet.com/meet-the-u-s-armys-first-black-surgeon-alexander-augusta/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, When 21 Sikh Soldiers Fought the Odds Against 10,000 Pashtun Warriors, Few Red Tails Remain: Tuskegee Airman Dies at 96. A photo of Maj. (Dr.) Alexander Augusta among the Seventh Regiment of U.S. Despite continued racism and discrimination, Augusta encouraged Black medical students A PDF reader is required for viewing. According to some sources, the school denied his application because he was inadequately prepared for the curriculum. In 1853, Augusta and his wife moved to Toronto, where he enrolled in the medical faculty at Trinity College. He returned to the United States shortly before the start of the American Civil War. WikiMatrix. He consistently rose above the bigotry of his time, continually fighting for the rights of other Blacks, and himself. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. In a letter published in multiple newspapers, he asserted his right as a Union officer to wear the insignia of my office, and if I am either afraid or ashamed to wear them, anywhere, I am not fit to hold my commission.. This appointment made Augusta the first Black HOME; INTERIORS; EXTERIORS; OFFICE & PORTRAITS; PUBLICITY/EVENTS; CONSTRUCTION; INFO 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. He was six years old when, ver the next few years, Augusta remained in Toronto reading headlines that dissolved from one seemingly earth-moving event to another: the Rebel bombardment of, Two days later, Augusta created a stir in Washington at a reception celebrating the first anniversary of the freeing of the slaves in the Union capital. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. Do you find this information helpful? On 1 January 1863, during the American Civil War (186165), President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, allowing Black men to serve in the forces. In response, he cofounded the National Medical Society of the District of Columbia in 1870, which was open to all medical doctors. (Trinity had opened the previous year; it federated with the University of Toronto in 1904.) Mrs. Brown, an employee of Congress and an African American, had been injured when an employee of the Alexandria, Washington, and Georgetown Railroad forcibly ejected her from a passenger car. Image courtesy of Max Brodel. By most accounts, Augusta was saving money to finance his next move, which took him and his wife to Toronto, Canada. Augusta went to Washington, D.C., where he wrote President Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War, offering his services as a surgeon. Birthplace: Norfolk, VA Location of death: Washington, DC Cause of death: unspecified Remain. He served as the Regimental Surgeon of the Seventh U.S. He helped draft petitions against anti-Black candidates for the Canadian parliament, arranged events featuring abolitionist speakers, and served as the president of the Provincial Association for the Education and Elevation of the Coloured People of Canada. (In an odd twist of fate, two years later, Augusta would lead a procession of 75,000 colored troops through the streets of Baltimore as President Lincolns body passed though the city.). Alexander Thomas Augusta (March 8, 1825 - December 21, 1890) was a surgeon, veteran of the American Civil War, and the first black professor of medicine in the United States. sean feucht band members . In 1865, after the Civil War had ended, President Lincoln invited him to the White House. Augusta was also president of the Association for the Education of Coloured People in Canada, which provided books and school supplies to Black children. how did alexander thomas augusta die how did alexander thomas augusta die. He also served at the Smallpox Hospital and Freedmans Hospital, both in D.C. When did James Alexander Reeder pass away? Born in 31 Mar 1896 and died in 11 Jul 1962 North Little Rock, Arkansas Thomas Augusta "Tommie" Alexander. Morris, Karen Sarena, "The Founding of the National Medical Association" (2008). Augusta became the first African American commissioned medical officer in the United States Army when he was appointed surgeon with the Union Army in . I told him, I would not ride on the front, and he said I should not ride at all. Whites did everything in their power to keep Blacks from organizing, including efforts to hold them back intellectually. Predeceased by husband of 32 years Kermit, parents Frank and Mary, and brothers Peter and Mark . Birth date. Growing up in Baltimore, he worked as a barber while he pursued his dream of attending medical school. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. international bridge wait time. Alexander Thomas Augusta died on the 21st of December 1890, which was a Sunday. He offered medical care to the poor, founded a literacy society that donated books and school supplies to black children and was active in antislavery circles on both sides of the border. He was appointed head of the Toronto City Hospital and was also in charge of an industrial school. . Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. He died in December 1890 at age 65, his headstone at Arlington bearing mere traces of the . He received honorary degrees of M.D. Augusta completed his medical training in 1856 but for reasons unknown did not receive his Bachelor of Medicine degree (equivalent to an MD) until 1860. In 1873, the court enforced earlier In the Army, his white subordinates often refused to work with him. Mustering out of the service in October 1866, Augusta accepted an assignment with the Freedmen's Bureau, heading the agency's Lincoln Hospital in Savannah, Georgia. He also devoted enormous energy to activism within the local Black community. At the time, Augusta was the highest ranking African American officer. www.health.mil/Black-History-Month. The AMA seeks to promote the art and science of, Alexander the Paphlagonian (ca. They were two physicians, Dr. Alexander Thomas Augustathe Army's first African-American physicianand his assistant Dr. Anderson Abbott. I have come near a thousand miles at great expense and sacrifice, he told them, hoping to be of some use to the country and to my race at this eventful period.. The first African American surgeon in the U.S. Army. Racial Segregation of Black Students in Canadian Schools. African-American soldier and physician (18251890). of James Patton - John Smith formed a company in 1741 with Zacariah Lewis, William Waller, Ben Waller, Robert Green, and James Patton to take up and survey 100,000 acres between the waters of the James River and the Roanoke River. how did alexander thomas augusta dieliza minnelli funeral. Almost a century before Rosa Parks defied Alabama's racial segregation laws, Trinity graduate Dr. Alexander Thomas Augusta refused to give up his seat in the "whites only" section of a Washington DC streetcar. In 1868 Augusta was the first African American to be appointed to the faculty of Howard University and the first to any medical college in the United States. Augusta was the first Black hospital administrator and Black medical professor in the United States. He married Baltimore native Mary O. Burgoin on January 12, 1847. He died there and Valentine Zinn is his son and heir at law. Growing up in Baltimore, he worked as a barber while he pursued his dream of attending medical school. That morning, he left his home in a torrential downpour, and hoping to remain dry, hailed a streetcar. Meg Matthias is Senior Video Producer at Encyclopdia Britannica. At the same time, he was studying and working with Alexander Thomas Augusta, an American-born "free person of colour'' who graduated from U of T's Trinity College in 1856, becoming the . Augusta returned to private practice in Washington, D.C. ." Augusta applied to study medicine at the University of Pennsylvania but was refused admission. Augusta passed with flying colors and received both an appointment as the United States Armys first Black surgeon and a commission as a major, making him the highest ranking African American officer in the U.S. military. When Augusta attempted to enter the tram, the conductor pulled him outside, forcing him to walk. Alexander Graham Bell, (born March 3, 1847, Edinburgh, Scotlanddied August 2, 1922, Beinn Bhreagh, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada), Scottish-born American inventor, scientist, and teacher of the deaf whose foremost accomplishments were the invention of the telephone (1876) and the refinement of the phonograph (1886). Augusta taught anatomy in the recently organized medical department at Howard University from November 8, 1868, to July 1877, becoming the first African American appointed to the faculty of the school and also of any medical college in the U.S. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Telita Crosland becomes the fourth director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) in a ceremony Jan. 3, 2023, at Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia. His parents were free African Americans. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. A He is currently working on a book about the untold story of Rebel Baltimore, General Lew Wallace, and a detective who saved the Union. Success stories like Augustas were largely the result of a perfect storm of human qualitiespenetrating intelligence, fearlessness and determination, persistence, and a healthy sense of righteous indignation. On February 1, he had to be in nearby Washington to give testimony in a court-martial regarding the murder of a Black man. That letter preceded the Plessy v. Ferguson case[8] which challenged racial segregation on public transportation in the U.S. On March 13, 1865, Augusta was brevetted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. [citation needed]. This answer is: While in his late teens, he secretly learned to do so with the help of Daniel Payne, who later became both a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the president of Ohios Wilberforce University. Augusta also experienced white violence when he was mobbed in Baltimore for publicly wearing his officers uniform. The tragic death occurred 131 years ago. I told him I would not ride on the front, and he said I should not ride at all. //]]>. But not everyone was impressed. Volunteers, March 13, 1865, For Faithful and Meritorious Services.. Physical anthropologist, anatomist, activist The Army Medical Board reconsidered and invited him to take the examination. Perhaps it was pneumonia or typhoid fever. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website. Carroll A. Chandigian (Alford) Carroll Chandigian, 85, of Brooklyn, NY, passed away on 2/24/23. Alexander T. Augusta. Augusta was born in 1825 to free people of color in Norfolk, Virginia. Alexander T. Augusta ( Also known as: Alexander Thomas Augusta) born March 8, 1825 in Norfolk, Virginia, United States - died December 21, 1890 in Washington, D.C, United States, was an American surgeon, physician and educator. From Norfolk, Virginia, as a young man Alexander Augusta first made his way to Baltimore, Maryland, where he worked. The observance was more poignant because it was held in a hospital named for one of the most revered nurses in the history of the Army. In 2018 Dr. Katherine Hall, a lecturer at Dunedin School of Medicine in New Zealand, proposed that Alexander the Great had Guillain-Barr syndrome, an acute autoimmune condition that results in muscle paralysis. Woodstock. Our team will be reviewing your submission and get back to you with any further questions. December 13, 1934. At military medical facilities all over the world, there's a good chance that a beneficiary will be treated by female physicians, but it wasn't always like that. After the military, Augusta was in charge of the Lincoln Hospital in Savannah, Georgia until 1868 when he started his own practice in Washington, D.C. Michael Williams is a Maryland-based writer and historian. Ask the Doc: My Friend Drinks Too Much. Augusta took particular interest in anatomy, taught by Dr. Norman Bethune (namesake and grandfather of the more famous Dr. Bethune ). Just beyond the Old Post Chapel entrance gate at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., stands an obelisk headstone bearing a detailed yet spartan inscription: Commissioned surgeon of colored volunteers, April 4, 1863, with rank of Major. The work of one of the Department of Defenses foremost experts on the treatment of traumatic brain injury was recently honored with the department's highest award given to career DOD civilian employees. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Signing up enhances your TCE experience with the ability to save items to your personal reading list, and access the interactive map. David Benner, who spent nearly 30 years as the director of media relations for the Indiana Pacers, died Wednesday after a long illness. Biography. a member of the faculty taught him privately. County in 1738, Augusta did not commence operation until 1745 when it was felt it had sufficient population to support a government. Highest ranked black officer during the Civil War and the first black to hold a medical commission in the Union Army. In 1847, he married Mary O. Burgoin. Brevet Lieutenant Colonel of Volunteers, March 13, 1865, for faithful and meritorious services-mustered out October 13, 1866."[2]. During the American Civil War, Augusta was appointed surgeon of colored volunteers with the rank of major. And although he was omnivorous when it came to subject matter, he nevertheless had a favorite topicmedicine. Englishtainment. MLK Day National Day of Service: Remember. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Alexander T. Augusta died in 1890 . Nevertheless, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to plead his case and was finally accepted. Alexander T. Augusta died in Washington in 1890. The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense of non-U.S. Government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. At the age of 65, Augusta died in Washington, D.C. . Transplant surgeon Augusta was the first Black officer to be buried in Arlington Alexander Thomas, a child psychiatrist who served as director of psychiatry at Bellevue and whose research revealed much about the nature of human temperament, died on Wednesday at St. Luke's Hospital in Manhattan . [4] On October 2, 1863, he was commissioned Regimental Surgeon of the Seventh U.S. As he was determined to become a physician, Augusta travelled to California and earned the funds to pursue his goal of becoming a doctor. The Ireland Army Health Clinic, in Fort Knox, Kentucky, was recently awarded The Join Commission Gold Seal accreditation in both ambulatory services and behavioral health and human services. He retired from the army in 1866. But the wartime violence he experienced came, all too often, from his own side. the drug store. "At that time, as I learned more about the fact that my mother didn't need to die prematurely, I knew I wanted to be a doctor," Dr. Gaston told Doximity. One of those physicians was Alexander Thomas Augusta (1825-1890), who was a contemporary of Osler's and who, like Osler, started his training in Toronto. Colored Infantry. Maybe he really was murdered. Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery. Within two years, Augusta was promoted to lieutenant colonel and became the highest-ranking black officer in the U.S. military. Women Facts 'Still Cracking Up': Kenya Moore's Outing with Her Daughter Goes Left After Fans Mention Her Fight with Nene Leakes During the 'RHOA' Reunion; The child of a priest, Rufus Clement turned into a famous educator and one of the longest-serving presidents of Atlanta University, a main verifiably black university in Atlanta, Georgia. Heather M. Butts, JD, MPH, MA. Aged . While he was still a medical student, Augusta opened a drugstore on Yonge Street, which also advertised tooth extractions and the application of leeches. Once he completed his training, he opened a private practice as a surgeon across the street from While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The first African American surgeon in the U.S. Army. Augusta moved to Baltimore while still in his youth. Throughout the following year, Augusta encountered numerous instances of discrimination, insubordination from White enlisted men, and even acts of disdain on the part of civilians; perhaps the most humiliating of them occurring in 1864. Paper 360. February 3, 2015. Augusta was born to free African American parents in Norfolk, Virginia. How Can I Help? African Americans visiting the White House was very rare and the event was widely reported across the country. Valdosta. The City of Toronto appointed him as director of an industrial school. Augusta, however, vigorously pursued his ambitions; one of them was reading. He served the Union army as a civilian surgeon during the American Civil War. Died. He became the first black Army officer to be buried in the Arlington National . Today we know all about what happens to our bodies after we die. orlando to fort pierce train; dod personnel who suspect a coworker of possible espionage should; boyd funeral home marion, ohio obituaries; horner's syndrome in cats after ear cleaning; Blanchfield Army Community Hospital team members gathered to observe the 122nd anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps. Celebrate. Colored Troops. Lists Date of Importation and Family Names: 22 Feb. 1739. In April, 1863 Augusta became the first African-American commissioned as a medical officer in the U.S. Army (at the rank of major) and one of only 13 to serve as surgeons during the war. Surgeon A. T. Augusta to Major General L. Wallace, January 20, 1865, A-63 1865, Letters Received, ser. On another occasion when in uniform, Augusta was attacked on a Baltimore train. W. Montague Cobb 19041990 Address. At that time he began to learn to read while working as a barber although it was illegal to do so in Virginia at that time. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. 32, of the Fourteenth Street line of the city railway. Dr. Alexander T. Augusta died at home four days before Christmas, 1890. ". In 1868, the Freedmens Hospital became a teaching hospital for Howard University For the next six years, he endured the rigors of medical school, meanwhile working side jobs as a chemist and pharmacist, selling, as one advertisement announced, Patent Medicines, Perfumery, Dye Stuffs, etc., as well as services such as tooth extraction, the filling of prescriptions, and the application of leeches. Wiki User. Get faculty and staff news delivered straight to your inbox. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Here, he settled down temporarily, and always with an eye toward doing more than reading. 1770-003: John Smith vs. Exrs. there until 1877. He was also appointed to lead the Freedman's Hospital in Washington, D.C., in 1863, becoming the first black hospital administrator in U.S. Alexander Thomas Augusta was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1825. Alexander Thomas Augusta. Today we have an explanation for Alexander's death and his period of bodily freshness that relies less on the supernatural and more on science. On 14 April 1863, Augusta was commissioned as a major and became head surgeon Alexander Thomas Augusta, physician, army officer, hospital administrator, professor, rights activist (born 9 March 1825 in Norfolk, Virginia; died 21 December 1890 in Washington, D.C.). Commissioned regimental surgeon of the 7th Regiment of US. June 2, 2022. She was the inaugural recipient of the Walter Gray Crump Sr., M.D., Scholarship, created in 1928 specifically to support minority medical students. Even in death Augusta broke the colour barrier. Menu ceramic cutting tools advantages and disadvantages. American physician who was the first black surgeon in the U.S. Army. Elizabeth Watson (Until 1934) Thomas Augustus Watson (January 18, 1854 - December 13, 1934) was an assistant to Alexander Graham Bell, notably in the invention of the telephone in 1876. . but worked occasionally as an assistant medical attendant. He immediately wrote a letter that was published in several newspapers. When Alexander was declared dead on June 13, theories began forming. & 8th Army Corps, National Archives & Records Administration RG 393 Part 1 [C-4147]. Indeed, what is strange is In 1865, Augusta was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, making him the highest-ranking Black officer in the US army at the time. Who is Alexander Thomas? Description . On July 11, 1804, Hamilton and Burr met for a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. Augusta, GA. How old was James Alexander Reeder when died? [1] On 12 January 1847, Alexander Thomas Augusta was married to Mary O Burgoin in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. . A year later, Congress ruled that all streetcars in Washington had to be desegregated. He testified before a Congressional Committee While wearing his countrys uniform, Augusta was refused entry to a Washington streetcar by the conductor, who told him he had to ride outside. Dr. Alexander Thomas Augusta was a pioneer for Blacks in the 19th Century, paving the way for millions who would follow. As a young man, he began to learn to read while working as a barber, although it was illegal for free blacks to do so in Virginia at that time. St. George. 1720, d. bef. I have therefore been compelled to walk the distance in the mud and rain, and have also been delayed in my attendance upon the court.. As a result, in 1863 Lincoln appointed him as head of the Freedmens Hospital in northwest Washington, D.C. https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/alexander-thomas-augusta, "Alexander Thomas Augusta On February 10, 1864, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner introduced a resolution in Congress: Resolved, That the Committee on the District of Columbia be directed to consider the expediency of further providing by law against the exclusion of colored persons from the equal enjoyment of all railroad privileges in the District of Columbia. In 1865, a year after the incident, Congress decreed that all streetcars in the nations capital were to be desegregated. He also conducted business as a druggist and chemist. Spartanburg. He remained Despite being a commissioned officer and a doctor, his pay of seven dollars a month was less than that of a white private. The Military Health System and AMSUS, the society of federal health professionals, presented a series of awards. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/alexander-thomas-augusta. But Augusta would have none of it, and, following a brief stint of tutelage under the guidance of a professor at the university, returned to Baltimore, married, and around 1850, went to California, where he worked as a barber in the midst of the booming Gold Rush. Alexander Thomas Augusta. Augusta remained on the faculty until 1877, when he returned to private practice in Washington, DC. The reality of circumstances, however, skews more in the direction of skin color and the unsavory notion of a Black man transcending the boundaries of his designated position in society. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Alexander Thomas Augusta was the highest-ranking black officer in the Union Army during the Civil War. Over the next few years, Augusta remained in Toronto reading headlines that dissolved from one seemingly earth-moving event to another: the Rebel bombardment of Fort Sumter; the Battle of Antietam; and, in 1863, President Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation. Dr. Alexander Augusta was the first African American to be an Army doctor. He sought a medical education in Canada after being denied admittance to medical school in the United States because of his color. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery. Pain, suffering, and premature death from disease have ravaged human beings from the beginning of recorded time. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In 1847 he married Mary O. Burgoin, a Native American. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Alexander Thomas Augusta was born to free parents of color in Norfolk, Virginia on March 9, 1825. Despite his qualifications and experience, the Medical Association of the District of Columbia continued to deny him and other Black doctors admission to their group. "Alexander Thomas Augusta. He returned to the United States shortly before the start of the American Civil War. Nearly 80 years later, the battle of Iwo Jima is remembered as a memorial to the fallen, their service, and the sheer grit and resilience of those Navy corpsmen who answered the call. Highest ranked black officer during the Civil War and the first black to hold a medical commission in the Union Army. Alexander Thomas Augusta was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1825. Ten Days That Vanished: The Switch to the Gregorian Calendar, https://www.britannica.com/story/how-did-alexander-the-great-really-die. Sabotaged? On November 5, 1965, Air Force surgeons were confronted with a bomb, literally. National Cemetery. On February 26, 1868, Augusta testified before the United States Congressional Committee on the District of Columbia with regard to Mrs. Kate Brown. Skip to main content. Westover Memorial Park. This is likely due to a misunderstanding over his work at the House of Industry, founded in 1837 to house the citys disadvantaged Alexander Thomas Augusta - Major, United States Army. Commissioned regimental surgeon of the 7, Regiment U.S. the Association for the Education of Coloured People in Canada. He lived a successful and full life, despite the myriad of obstacles he faced . Alexander Thomas Augusta was the highest-ranking black officer in the Union Army during the Civil War..