Abraham Galloway (1837-1870)

Summary Label

African-American Union Spy and North Carolina State Senator

Title

Abraham Galloway (1837-1870)

Date of Birth

February 8, 1837

Date of Death

September 1, 1870

gender

Male

Hometown or Region

Smithville, North Carolina

Freedom Status

Transition

Occupation

Enslaved, brick mason, Union Intelligence (Spy), Senator

Biography

Abraham Galloway was born in Smithville, North Carolina, about 30 miles south of Wilmington. He was an important figure in the Civil War, working as a spy and recruiting African American soldiers for the Union. He escaped slavery as a young man, fleeing to Philadelphia, where he was connected with William Still and later transported to Canada. Although he enjoyed his freedom, Galloway couldn’t let slavery continue in the United States and began his journey of spreading emancipation. He had to risk being caught and sold back into slavery when traveling along the Ohio River to get to Boston. There, Galloway found William Lloyd Garrison of The Liberator and James Redpath, who would take Abraham to Haiti. The expedition and publications of Galloway’s work led to being recruited as a most trusted spy for the Union and working alongside General Benjamin ‘Spoons’ Butler. After many victories and even being captured in the Confederacy, Galloway kept pushing for the end of slavery. He rescued his mother in New Bern, North Carolina, and retired from being a spy. Finally, he found his next passion as one of the first Black senators of North Carolina. Unfortunately, Galloway passed away of illness at the young age of 33 in Wilmington, North Carolina, but his impact was not forgotten. Thousands attended his funeral, and his heroic story is recently coming to light.

See Abraham Galloway Map

Connected Historical Actor(s)

William Still, William Lloyd Garrison , James Redpath & Benjamin Butler

Student Researcher

Charlie Pizzuti