Black soldiers and sailors, both enslaved and free, played a significant part in the American Civil War of 1861-1865, and after the war some of these men made their home in Moss Point. In the area now surrounding Charlotte Hyatt school, about six ex-servicemen settled to raise their families and work in the city's rapidly expanding lumber trade. One of them was Solomon Denny, who had been born into slavery and as a young man made his way to Ship Island, where he joined the Union Navy. He served on several ships, including the USS Calhoun, a gunboat that patrolled the Mississippi coast. After the Civil War, he returned, changed his last name to Gregory, and went to work at Denny Sawmills, one of the largest industries in the area. He became so successful at running its day-to-day operations that many called it Sol's Mill, and he eventually became one of the wealthiest and most respected property owners in the area.