Col. Charles Fillmore Harlem Hellfighters Original 1889 Invite & Broadside Print For Sale

This exceptional two-piece historical lot maps the extraordinary life trajectory of Colonel Charles Ward Fillmore (1869-1942), charting his journey from his post-Reconstruction roots in Ohio to his destiny as a monumental architect of American military excellence [369th Infantry "Harlem Hellfighters"]. The center of the collection is an authentic, original June 1889 invitation requesting attendance at the "Annual Re-Union of the Springfield High School Alumni" at the Central Building in Springfield, Ohio, featuring elegant mid-Victorian copperplate cursive. This rare piece of ephemera captures the early life of Fillmore—a Springfield native—just before he ascended the ranks of the historic all-Black 9th Ohio Battalion alongside Brigadier General Charles Young. Complementing this original document is a reproduction print of the famous c.1916 New York recruiting broadside titled "COLORED MEN WANTED... NOW ORGANIZING... First Colored Provisional Regiment of Infantry," which prominently lists "COL. CHAS. W. FILLMORE, Commanding" at its baseline. This specific broadside represents the foundational activist campaign spearheaded by Fillmore that directly forced the creation of the 15th New York Infantry, the legendary unit immortalized on the battlefields of France as the 369th Infantry "Harlem Hellfighters."  Print made from the original broadside. The reunion invitation and the original recruiting broadside were obtained from Thomas Moore's National Black American Historical Museum (NBAHM) of Harlem, from the estate of Charles W. Fillmore.

Note: Born in Ohio, Fillmore grew up in Springfield and graduated from Springfield High School at the age of seventeen. He later advanced his studies at Wittenberg University. He spent 14 years in the Ohio military system, steadily rising through the ranks. He became the initial commander of the 9th Battalion (Colored) Ohio Volunteer Infantry, leading the unit during the Spanish-American War era alongside Captain Robert Pelham Rudd (1860-1930), another acclaimed Springfield High School Alumni, before command was eventually handed over to Major Charles Young (1864-2922). After the war Fillmore moved to Harlem and was a prominent businessman. Fillmore’s greatest historical contribution was his relentless political campaign to allow Black soldiers to fight for their country. For years, New York state legislators repeatedly rejected petitions from Manhattan’s African American community for a dedicated National Guard unit. Taking matters into his own hands, Fillmore personally raised a "provisionary" regiment of 1,000 Black citizens. This massive show of force compelled the state legislature to officially pass a law creating the 15th New York Infantry. This unit went on to achieve global immortality as the 369th Infantry Regiment—the Harlem Hellfighters.

 4 1/8X x3 3/8" card has significant toning and has scrapbook residue on back