Dedicating Lincoln -- an Album

By Ed Epstein

Washington, D.C.

September. 24, 2025

It was a singular honor for me, as president of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia, to preside on Monday as a gripping new statue of Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation was unveiled outside the African American Civil War Memorial Museum, which will reopen on Nov. 11 after a long relocation and renovation project.

The 16,000-square-foot museum is dedicated to the 209,154 Black men, mostly freed slaves, who served in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. In the proclamation, Lincoln called for the enlistment of such men, who were devoted to the president.

Luckily, Bruce Guthrie, a self-described "photo obsessive" who has documented other events for the group over the years, was on hand. His images tell the story of Monday's great event.

Here's part of the crowd after the statue was unveiled.

It took lots of hands to remove the blue tarp from the president

That's me with rifleman Marquett Milton, a museum staffer in Civil War uniform who was part of the color guard for the event. He is a walking encyclopedia of the USCT.

Below is the almost-complete color guard, volunteers who came to the event from across the Washington area. Joining them, on the right, is a familiar fellow who stopped by for the proceedings. Plenty of other re-enactors also came for the day, and thanks to them.

Among the features of the event were free NECCO wafers, a candy that was popular among Union soldiers during the Civil War and perhaps also with Lincoln and his family. It's a way to connect with Lincoln. Thanks to the New England Confectionery Co. for the donation.

And thanks to Bruce for his tireless excellence and his support of the Lincoln Group. Here's a photo of Bruce with the president busy signing the proclamation.