In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in areas of rebellion against the United States were free. The 62nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, containing many Zanesville and Putnam volunteers, participated in the July 18, 1863, attack on Battery Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina, the battle that made the 54th Colored Mass Regiment famous and was featured in the movie Glory. African American citizens of Zanesville and Muskingum County answered the nation's call, helping to preserve the Union and end slavery. George Potts, one of the twin sons of Francis Potts, died of illness in the Vicksburg Campaign. The other, David, later married one of Nelson Gant's daughters, and Francis Potts' daughter Joanna taught music at the Putnam Female Seminary.