January 14: The Day Lincoln University of Missouri’s Story Began

On January 14, 1866, at Fort McIntosh, Texas, soldiers of the 62nd Regiment of the United States Colored Infantry (USCI) made an extraordinary decision. They resolved to give their own hard-earned wages to create a school in Missouri dedicated to the education and advancement of formerly enslaved people. Soldiers of the 65th Regiment joined the cause, adding their own money.

In the aftermath of war, loss and sacrifice, these men understood that freedom without education was incomplete, and they chose to invest in a future that would outlive them. From those resolutions adopted at Fort McIntosh emerged the vision that became Lincoln University, founded on the belief that education, paired with purposeful work, could transform lives and generations.

As we celebrate our 160th anniversary and Founders' Day, we remember and honor these courageous men for their resolve and sacrifice.

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In "The History of Lincoln University," W. Sherman Savage documents the January 14, 1866, resolutions adopted by members of the 62nd United States Colored Infantry at Fort McIntosh, Texas:

"A meeting of the men of the ranks was held at Fort McIntosh, Texas, and the following set of resolutions was passed: "Whereas, the freedom of the black race has been achieved by war, and its education is the next necessity thereof, re solved, that we, the officers and the enlisted men of the 62nd United States Colored Infantry (organized as the First Missouri Volunteers of A.D.) agree to give the sums annexed to our names, to aid in founding an educational institution, on the following conditions:

• First, the Institute shall be designed for the special benefit of the freed blacks.
• Second, it shall be located in the state of Missouri.
• Third, its fundamental idea shall be to combine study with labor, so that the old habits of those who have always labored, but never studied, shall not be thereby changed and that the emancipated slaves, who have neither capital to spend nor time to lose, may obtain an education ..."

In "Soldiers' Dream Continued," Antonio F. Holland and colleagues recount how officers and enlisted men of the 62nd and 65th United States Colored Infantry raised thousands of dollars - despite low pay and heavy losses during the Civil War - to transform a shared vision for Black education in Missouri into what would become Lincoln University:

"In January 1866 at Fort McIntosh, Texas, as members of the 62nd began mustering out of the service, a conversation between Lieutenant Foster and a fellow officer centered on the tragic absence of a school in Missouri where the black soldiers could continue their education.

Asked if he would establish such a school if the regiment raised the money, Foster, not answering immediately, finally agreed, and a movement began which resulted in Foster and the men of the 62nd raising $5,000.00.

The 65th United States Colored Infantry Regiment, a sister unit, also recognizing the need for a school for Blacks in Missouri, contributed generously and soon raised another $1,379.50. One Private, Samuel Sexton, gave one hundred dollars, despite his earning only thirteen dollars a month.

Given the low pay of the soldiers and the great number of deaths in the two regiments, this was a great deal of money. The 62nd had lost 400 men, and the 65th had lost 700, mostly to sickness and disease and, to a lesser extent, combat. At Fort McIntosh, Texas, a committee was formed, composed of Captain C. Allen, a Surgeon; Captain Henry R. Parson; Captain Harrison Dubois; First Lieutenant A. M. Adamson; and First Lieutenant Richard Baxter Foster.

This group was empowered by the soldiers to add other members that might be needed to make the school for Blacks in Missouri a reality. The work which had begun at Fort McIntosh was continued in Saint Louis, Missouri, as the Committee's members agreed to add two or three influential persons from Saint Louis to their ranks. Several locally important persons interested in promoting education for Blacks, such as James E. Yeatman and J.W. McIntyre, agreed to join the Committee and to help raise funds for the project."