Daviess County U.S. Colored Troops
Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Daviess Co. U. S. Colored Troops in the Civil War. In 1864, several hundred enslaved African American men joined the Union army here. Enlisting in the army meant eventual freedom for the men and their families. Units raised in Daviess Co. took part in important operations at Richmond, Petersburg, and Lee's surrender at Appomattox, as well as campaigns in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Louisiana. (Reverse) Recruits served in the 100th, 109th, and 118th U.S. Colored Infantry and the 5th and 6th U.S. Colored Cavalry. There was much opposition among pro-slavery Kentucky Unionists to the recruitment of slaves. Therefore, black men in Daviess Co. took great risks to themselves and their families by enlisting in the army.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
In 1864, several hundred enslaved African American men in Daviess County left bondage to enlist in the Union army, a choice that promised eventual freedom for themselves and their families. They served in the 100th, 109th, and 118th U.S. Colored Infantry and the 5th and 6th U.S. Colored Cavalry, fighting at Richmond, Petersburg, and Appomattox and across the western theater. In a Kentucky where pro-slavery Unionists bitterly opposed Black recruitment, enlisting was an act of extraordinary courage and risk.
Why it matters
It marks the moment enslaved Kentuckians seized their own liberation by taking up arms, a pivotal chapter in the Civil War and the long struggle for African American freedom.
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Related events
- · Siege of Petersburg
- · Surrender at Appomattox
- · American Civil War
Themes & tags
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