A Juneteenth tribute to Middlesex County’s African American Civil War soldiers and sailors will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Antioch Baptist Church, Saluda.

More than 90 African American men with Middlesex County connections who served in the Civil War as members of the Union Navy or the Army’s United States Colored Troops have been identified, a release said.

Reenactors representing the 23rd Regiment of the United States Colored Troops will appear in uniform. Members of this Spotsylvania County-based group will speak about the Civil War involvement of colored soldiers and sailors broadly, as well as their participation in Juneteenth, specifically.

Special recognition will be given to Middlesex and Gloucester resident Samuel Mayo, a member of the Second Regiment of the United States Colored Cavalry and the 25th Corps, Cavalry Brigade who went into Galveston, Texas with General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865.

The Rev. Dr. Leonard L. Edloe, pastor of New Hope Fellowship, Hartfield, will reflect on the topic, “Looking for a Better Home on Earth.”

The Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association choir, under the direction of Marcellus Dungee, will sing Negro spirituals that have themes of bondage and freedom. Displays at the program will include a sword that belonged to Civil War sailor David Harris, one of the Stingray Point contraband sailors and one of the first Black men to enlist in the United States Navy during the Civil War. Wreaths will be placed at known graves of Civil War veterans and their descendants will be recognized. Refreshments that are evocative of traditional Juneteenth celebrations will be served. The event is open to the public, and is sponsored by Middle Peninsula African American Genealogical and Historical Society, the Heritage Committee of Middlesex County, the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society, and the Fairfield Foundation, with support from Virginia Humanities.

For more information, call 804-854-5906 or 804-651-8753.