As visitors meandered the Fredericksburg National Cemetery for a Memorial Day commemoration Monday morning, John White stood at the gravesite of World War I veteran Dr. Urbane Bass and provided insight on the first Black doctor in post-Reconstruction Fredericksburg.
“Back in those days, when he treated people, he had to go to their homes,” White said. “My family came to Fredericksburg in about 1910. My mother was born in 1912 and he delivered her.”
But it was not only Bass’ contributions as a physician that made the Richmond native a renowned figure whose story is told through a display at Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site) on Princess Anne Street.
He also voluntarily offered to serve his country during World War I. Bass’ story was one of many told during the cemetery’s annual commemoration that was conducted a bit differently this year.
The 23rd Regiment United States Colored Troops presented and retired the colors during the annual Memorial Day commemoration Monday at Fredericksburg National Cemetery. (Photo by Taft Coghill Jr.)
Instead of the 23rd United States Colored Troops marching in, followed by a 30-minute program, the event was extended to two hours with historians stationed at different areas of the park to offer lessons on important figures that shaped the history of the Fredericksburg region and beyond.
The troops, who formerly marched from Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site) on Sophia Street to the park on Lafayette Boulevard, remained an integral part of the event, presenting and retiring the colors.
“What we’re doing is representing the 1871 multi-racial march,” said Steward Henderson, co-founder of the USCT group that portrays the first colored troops to fight in directed combat against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. “It was the first integrated march from the riverside all the way up here to put flowers on the graves.”
Monday’s commemoration also featured a wreath presentation by Vicki Meadows, who represented the Daughters of Union Veterans, 1861-1865. Guests were encouraged to share what Memorial Day means to them and park staff remained on hand until 5 p.m. for informal conversations.
Vicki Meadows of Daughters of Union Veterans, 1861-1865 presented the wreath during the annual Memorial Day commemoration Monday at Fredericksburg National Cemetery. (Photo by Taft Coghill Jr.)
White was eager to tell Bass’ story.
According to the park’s website, Bass wrote a letter to Secretary of War Newton Baker in 1917 stating that “patriotism and loyalty should be paramount in the breast of all American citizens at this time and feeling (although a Negro) that loyalty for my country and the desire to serve her in this critical period, I am herewith offering my services for the Army Medical Corps should there be a need for a Negro physician for that branch of service.”
At 37, Bass was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Medical Reserve Corps. He was later assigned to the 372nd Infantry Regiment, 93rd Infantry Division. The 372nd Infantry was an all-Black segregated unit.
The infantry was deployed to France on the USS Susquehanna. Although the French were warned by Americans not to treat the Black soldiers as equal to whites, the advice was largely ignored, and they were welcomed.
While aiding wounded soldiers during an attack by the Germans, Bass was wounded and lost both legs. He instructed others how to treat his wounds as he was rushed to a hospital but died before he arrived.
White said Bass was an inspiration to him and other Black men and women who followed him into military service.
“Memorial Day is always about the sacrifices that the military people made,” White said. “My father was in World War II. I have four brothers, and three of us had a career in the Air Force. I spent 26 years in the Air Force … The military allowed Black people to get out of the country to gain skills that we were able to bring back and advance our families.”
Bass was initially buried at the La Cheppe Cemetery in Marne, France. In 1919, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions around the time of his death. In 1921, he was reinterred at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery, becoming the first Black officer to be buried there. His wife, Maude, who died in 1986 at age 100, is buried next to him.
In addition to the observance at Fredericksburg National Cemetery, the Ladies’ Memorial Association held its annual observance at the Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery. Retired Fredericksburg businessman Charles McDaniel served as the guest speaker.
There were also wreath-laying ceremonies at the Fredericksburg Area War Memorial Park and at the monument on Washington Avenue that is dedicated to Revolutionary War hero Hugh Mercer.
