He was the first African-American man to enlist in the military in New York during the Civil War, and served as one of the first African-American clerks in the Freedmen's Bureau in Washington, D.C. Named after a friend of his father and anti-slavery speaker, Charles Lenox Remond, Charles Remond Douglass was born on October 21, 1844, in Lynn, Massachusetts.

The couple had six children: Charles Frederick, Joseph Henry, Annie Elizabeth, Julia Ada, Mary Louise, and Edward Douglass.

[1] Douglass became the first African-American man to enlist for U.S. military service in New York during the Civil War when he volunteered for the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.

Due to illness, Douglass (Charles) was not able to deploy with the troops, thus remaining at the training camp in Readville, Massachusetts, as late as November 1863.

Douglass held several commands in the District of Columbia National Guard, along with several high posts in the Grand Army of the Republic.

In 1875 Douglass became a clerk in the U.S. consulate in Santo Domingo, where he remained until 1879 when he returned to the United States after his wife's death.

In 1882 Douglass began working as an examiner for the Pension Bureau in Washington, D.C.[1] After 53 years in government service, he retired in August 1920.