Sussex veterans remembered, from 1812 to Vietnam
Soldiers, a cemetery, a war monument and a memorial list mark how Sussex County remembers those who served.
John Price and the 6th U.S. Colored Troops
John Price was born in Sussex County. He enlisted in the 6th U.S. Colored Troops at Smyrna in September 1863. His former enslaver came to camp to take him back. The troops and their commanding officer refused.
George Brown, 8th U.S. Colored Troops
George Brown of Sussex County joined the 8th U.S. Colored Troops in October 1863. He was wounded at Olustee in February 1864. He was killed at Deep Bottom on Aug. 24, 1864.
Ten recruits at Camp William Penn
Ten Sussex County recruits of the 25th U.S. Colored Troops died of disease at Camp William Penn. The Delaware Genealogical Society has documented 1,868 African American Delaware Civil War veterans.
The first burial in Millsboro
The Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Millsboro opened Oct. 15, 1999. Its first burial was Maj. Robert Harris, a War of 1812 veteran. His grave was moved from forgotten woods.
The Cannonball House
The Cannonball House on Front Street in Lewes is now the town's maritime museum. A Lewes Historical Society exhibit covers the War of 1812.
Seventeen names on Georgetown Circle
A monument on Georgetown Circle lists 17 Sussex men who died in France in World War I. It was dedicated on Veterans Day 2016, 98 years after the war. About $20,000 was raised in roughly three months.
Twenty-six from Sussex in Vietnam
Delaware lost 124 people in Vietnam. Twenty-six were from Sussex County. Names on the county memorial include Lt. Harry Preston McFalls of Lewes and Sgt. Howard Lee Webb of Rehoboth Beach.
The Delaware Veterans Home opens
The Delaware Veterans Home in Milford welcomed its first three residents on June 13, 2007. It had been dedicated on Delaware Day 2006.
Sources
- https://delgensoc.org/african-american-civil-war-veterans/historical-background/
- https://www.wmdt.com/2025/05/our-town-revisited-delaware-veterans-memorial-cemetary/
- https://www.historiclewes.org/?p=610
- https://www.capegazette.com/node/176008
- https://www.capegazette.com/node/256078
- https://www.delmarvapublicmedia.org/local-news/2016-11-14/world-war-i-monument-in-sussex-county
- https://news.delaware.gov/2012/06/15/delaware-veterans-home-recognizes-five-years-of-service/
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