On the morning of May 23, 1862, in Lewisburg, (West) Virginia, Confederate troops under General Henry Heth attacked Colonel George Crook’s Union troops who were camped above what is now the Greenbrier Campus of the New River Community and Technical College.

Michael Crutcher, Sr.

appearing as

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery within the United States in the decades prior to the Civil War.  He was recognized as one of America’s first great black speakers and became a world figure when his autobiography was publicized in 1845.

Douglass served as an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.  He fought for the adoption of constitutional amendments that guaranteed voting rights and other civil liberties for blacks.

Frederick Douglass provided a powerful voice for human rights during this period of American history and is still revered today for his contributions against racial injustice.

From  “Abolitionist/Editor” by Sandra Thomas