Pleasant Richardson was born to slave parents in Fincastle in 1845 on the Lauderdale plantation, once owned by the Johnson family. Richardson was not listed in the 1850 census, but in an inventory done of the plantation in 1853, he is listed among 50 other slaves that were on the property. In 1864, he escaped the plantation and made his way to West Virginia, where he enlisted in Company F of the 45th United States Colored Infantry Regiment. He fought in the Union’s Red River Campaign and was later reportedly present at Appomattox during Lee’s surrender.
After he was discharged, Richardson returned to Botetourt County. He married and had two children. He would also purchase property on Murray Street and later on Water Street in Fincastle. He passed away on Memorial Day, 1935 and is buried in the cemetery of First Baptist Church of Fincastle.
In 2017, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War honored Pleasant Richardson with a ceremony at his gravesite.
Richardson was belatedly awarded a medal as a “token of respect” for the service he gave to West Virginia and the Union Army. The medal is on view at the Botetourt Museum of History and Culture and was generously donated by Judith Barnett, in memory of her brother, Edward Barnett.
~ Botetourt County Museum of History & Culture
