[1] According to BlackPast.org, "Navy records listed him as having deserted in 1865, though it was later revealed he left the ship to attend his stepfather’s funeral, and his mother had obtained his discharge so that he could assist her".
[1] After the US Civil War, Downing started on a journey around the world, and reached the American colony of Liberia, where he lived for three years.
In late 1890, he led the African Americans of New York City to tender to the Comte de Paris.
While in London, Downing concentrated on creative writing, publishing several plays and a novel, The American Cavalryman: A Liberian Romance (1917).
[10] Downing was inspired by the life of American actor Ira Frederick Aldridge, who developed a career in performing Shakespeare in London and Europe.