Prince Bradford was born around 1822 in Albemarle County, Virginia. He was a slave of Hamilton Bradford, who relocated him to Huntsville, Alabama, around 1832. He worked as a blacksmith prior to the war and ran away from the plantation to join the Union army.

Bradford enlisted as a private on November 20, 1863, in Alabama, and mustered in at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on December 12. His service record describes him as 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with black hair, black eyes, and black complexion. He served in Company A of the 17th USCT Infantry Regiment. Bradford became a corporal on February 29, 1864, a rank he maintained until the end of the war. The regiment participated in the Battle of Nashville on December 15-16, 1864, and pursued Confederate General John Bell Hood from December 17 until December 27. In early 1865, Bradford began suffering from rheumatism caused by "heavy marching." The ailment kept him from regimental duty for the rest of the war. He also later claimed he had received a gunshot wound to the head during his service. Bradford mustered out on April 25, 1866, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Following the war, Bradford lived in Huntsville, Alabama. He continued to work on the Bradford plantation as a farmer until at least 1896, despite living through illness and pain caused by his wartime injury. Bradford's pension record does not give definitive information about his family. Testimony from his alleged daughter Luvener Boylston, however, suggests that Bradford married Rose Terell, who died before the war. Boylston also insisted that Bradford received a gunshot wound to the head while fighting as a Confederate soldier, which would have disqualified him from receiving a pension. At some point, Bradford was able to secure a pension with the help of his neighbors, fellow veterans, and former commanding officer. He was able to increase his pension in 1894 and 1895. He died on April 27, 1907, in Gainesville, Alabama. Doctors gave his cause of death as "senility." Later, his apparent daughter Luvener Boylston tried unsuccessfully to receive a pension, allegedly for taking care of Bradford's other surviving children.

Documents:

Testimony of Prince Bradford

Testimony of Captain John B. Nixon on behalf of Prince Bradford