<div class="description">
Christian Fleetwood was a Sergeant Major of the U.S. Colored Troops during the American Civil War and Medal of Honor recipient for having "saved the regimental colors after eleven of the twelve color guards had been shot down around it" at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm (September 29–30, 1864). The picture shows Fleetwood about 20 years later, as Captain of the Washington Cadets resp. Washington Cadet Corps (WCC). The WCC was a black militia unit formed in 1880, later amalgamated with the National Guard of the District of Columbia (DCNG). Fleetwood wears a double breasted tailcoat similiar to the Pattern 1879 regulation Army officer's frockcoat, but with the front of the skirt squarely cut away. On Fleetwood's chest the Medal of Honor (left) and the Butler Medal (right). The WCC's coat has further specific alterations. Instead of having plain cuffs and a plain collar, the latter seems to be trimmed with collar patches, probably in branch color (white for Infantry since 1881 in lieu of light blue). Likewise the cuffs which are edged with Austrian knots. The tailcoat's breast has two rows of 7 buttons each as prescribed for Army company grade officers; field grade officers were indicated by two rows of 9 buttons each. Fleetwood's rank is marked by a pair of Pattern 1872 "russian" shoulder knots resp. epaulets, authorized for Full dress only. His headgear consists of the Pattern 1872 forage cap, trimmed with gold (?) lace for officers and the WCC's front insignia, presumably the Corps' intitials "WCC" within a wreath of laurels. The WCC's full dress headgear is placed on top of a column next to Fleetwood: a casquet or fur hat presumably made of bearskin and ornated with a fringed tassle.</div>
<bdi><a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:19th-century_unidentified_photographers" title="Category:19th-century unidentified photographers">Unidentified photographer</a>
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between circa 1881 and circa 18687. In 1887, the WCC transformed into the 6th Battailon/DCNG (6th Bn DCNG) and supposedly discarded their former uniforms
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/orig/uc/uc006937.jpg">Library of Congress exhibit</a>