Richard Poplar was a free black man who was a cook in the 12th Virginia Infantry Regiment of William Mahone's brigade or division during the American Civil War.William E. Cameron, "Negroes in the Rebellion," The Times Sunday Special, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 9, 1894, image 24 In the 20th century, his name was attached to a yearly observance in Petersburg, Virginia, which honored his legacy.
