An Honor Overdue: Family History Solidified with Civil War Soldier Earning Medal of Honor

Andrew Bowman grew up with little knowledge of his family’s past. Later in life, when he learned of his grandfather’s Civil War heroics, it led him on a decades-long journey of genealogy, history and, ultimately, a sense of self.

“It all started with my mother, who told us lots of stories about my grandfather, Andrew Jackson Smith,” says Bowman, who moved to Indiana in his 20s. “He escaped slavery at age 18 during the Civil War and joined the Union Army. I never really believed her because her stories were so outlandish. I thought they were tall tales.”

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Bowman’s son was working on a Black history assignment in school, and Bowman decided to help him think outside the popular choices of Martin Luther King Jr. or Frederick Douglass. He looked to his mother’s stories and with her help decided to dig deeper into who Smith was.

“We traveled to Kentucky and did some research,” Bowman says. “We found out the stories were true and talked to people who lived with and knew my grandfather. We found out after his military career, he owned land, started farming and provided jobs for others.”

This was unheard of for a Black man and former enslaved person in the late 1800s.

“It really impressed me,” Bowman says. “The more I started looking into his life, the more I felt my family history had something of value, and it spurred me on in my research.”

A Legacy Restored

Born into slavery, Smith escaped at an early age and fought in the Civil War as part of the Union Army.

He fought in an all-Black regiment at the Battle of Honey Hill in South Carolina. During the battle, the army’s color bearers were struck down. Smith carried the flags and led the counterattack – putting himself in harm’s way on the front line.

Caruth Smith Washington, Bowman’s aunt, had saved paperwork dating back to the late 1800s documenting Smith’s bravery in the military.

Prior to his death in 1932, Smith had applied for the Medal of Honor but was rejected by President Woodrow Wilson. Bowman began helping his aunt lobby for recognition in the 1980s – finally earning his grandfather the Medal of Honor 136 years after his service.

“Initially, we weren’t aiming for the Medal of Honor. We were just doing genealogical research,” Bowman says. “But the more we learned, we knew his military accomplishments were something of significance.”

Thanks to the efforts of Bowman and his aunt, Smith was honored by President Bill Clinton at the end of his term in 2001. Caruth was 92 at the time when she accepted the honor bestowed to her father.

“She was able to be with us at the White House to accept the award,” Bowman says. “We were there at the same time as Teddy Roosevelt’s family. He was being presented with the medal for fighting in the Spanish-American War. It was really amazing to see a former president and former slave receiving the honor on the same day.”

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Keeping History Alive

Bowman says the journey of researching his grandfather’s legacy made him realize how many people were unaware of the contribution of Black men during the Civil War, including himself. He wanted to change that, and Smith’s Medal of Honor recognition was just the beginning.

“From that point on, it changed the way I thought about myself, the United States and how my family saw me,” Bowman says. “I wanted people to know that slaves weren’t just handed their freedom. They fought for it.”

He went on to tell his grandfather’s story through living history performances at Indiana schools and as a Civil War reenactor at events across the state. Bowman was honored by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2024 with the Sagamore of the Wabash Award for his lifelong efforts. He also wrote a book with two other historians highlighting his grandfather’s life titled Carrying the Colors: The Life & Legacy of Medal of Honor Recipient Andrew Jackson Smith.

Most of all, Bowman says he discovered a sense of self and pride through his research.

“It made me feel proud of myself and who I became,” Bowman says. “I felt important, and my family now has the knowledge to pass on to their children. Andrew Jackson Smith’s legacy is that no matter where you come from or what your past held, you can be great. He set the bar of achieving more than he thought possible.”

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