More than 150 years after Athens native Milton Holland was denied a battlefield promotion in the Civil War due to his race, officials are still working to reverse that injustice.

The federal government has rejected efforts thus far to give Holland a posthumous promotion on the basis that his heroism has not been adequately proved. However, an official historian for the U.S. Army has already confirmed Holland’s legitimate promotion and the injustice in question.

State Rep. Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) is the latest area legislator to take up the cause. He introduced a resolution in the Ohio House of Representatives earlier this week calling for Holland to earn his posthumous promotion.

Holland served as a sergeant in the Union Army’s 5th United States Colored Infantry. He received a Congressional Medal of Honor in 1864 for his actions at the battle of New Market Heights/Chaffin’s Farm in Virginia.

He also received a recommendation for promotion to the rank of captain, but the U.S. Department of War in Washington, D.C. denied the request because he was black.

Edwards’ resolution asks members of Congress to “take action” to help Holland’s cause. In fact, two members of Congress have already tried and to this point have had little success.

U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Upper Arlington), whose district includes Athens, has twice joined Congressman Al Green of Texas in introducing legislation at the federal level seeking “to correct this wrong.” However, the House Armed Services Committee deferred their requests to the U.S. Department of the Army.

Stivers and Green turned to President Barack Obama for help, hoping he would use his power as commander in chief to give Holland a posthumous promotion to the captain rank. The two legislators sent Obama a letter in 2016 making the official request.

“Holland’s role in, and his acts of bravery during the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm have been confirmed by the Army’s Chief Historian,” their letter to Obama stated, adding that the promotion request is also supported by “multiple historical sources.”

Obama did not respond to the letter or take action on the issue prior to leaving office.

The same letter was shared to President Donald Trump, but the matter was again deferred to the Department of Defense and the Department of the Army.

Stivers said those agencies told him the “information threshold” has not been met that can prove Holland deserves the promotion.

“I believe the threshold is too high given the Army Historian — at our request — generally confirmed the events behind Milton Holland’s original battlefield commission,” Stivers added.

The congressman said his office has continued to work with the Army Historian, the Library of Congress and the National Archives to locate further documentation.

“I would encourage anyone that has documentation related to Milton Holland to reach out to my office,” Stivers said. “Any information would help as we continue to build a case.”

While the federal government still does not recognize Holland’s status as a Civil War captain, his legacy is remembered in various places here in Athens County. His name is included on an Athens County Courthouse plaque featuring Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. A historical marker at the Athens County Fairgrounds was erected in 2013 to highlight Holland’s background and achievements.

For now, Edwards is hoping advocacy from the state and federal level will lead to action being taken.

“More than 150 years have passed,” Edwards stated in a news release, “but it’s important that Milton Holland’s leadership be recognized and that the denial of his hard-earned promotion be reversed.”