Career
Born in Saint Mary"s County, Maryland, Harris worked as a farmer before joining the United States. Army from Great Mills at age 36. He enlisted on February 14, 1864, as a private in Company Bachelor of the 38th United States Colored Troops regiment. He was promoted to corporal five months later, on July 25, and to sergeant two months after that, on September 10.
At the Battle of Chaffin"s Farm, on September 29, 1864, Harris" regiment was among a division of black troops assigned to attack the center of the Confederate defenses at New Market Heights.
The defenses consisted of two lines of abatis and one line of palisades manned by Brigadier General John Gregg"s Texas Brigade. The attack was met with intense Confederate fire.
Over fifty percent of the black troops were killed, captured, or wounded. The initial attack stalled at the abatis, but when a renewed effort began, Harris and two other men of the 38th USCT, Private William H. Barnes and Sergeant Edward Ratcliff, ran at the head of the assault.
Being the first to breach the defenses, the three soldiers engaged the Confederates in hand-to-hand combat.
They were soon joined by the remainder of their division, and the Confederate force was routed. Harris died at the approximate age of 69 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia. Harris is specifically honored and memorialized by the in Lexington Park, Maryland (in Street Mary"s County, where he grew up and also worked as a farmer).
The informational kiosk at the memorial mentions him specifically.