U.S. Colored Troops monument to be installed at Fort Defiance in Clarksville

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A monument honoring the U.S. Colored Troops and the important role they played in the Civil War will being donated to Fort Defiance by Mount Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society.

The monument will honor the 20,133 Black Tennesseans who served as U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. It will be installed at Fort Defiance, one of Clarksville’s most popular historical sites.

City Council members voted unanimously on Thursday to accept the monument.

“This is a win-win for our city, and I look forward to a ceremony to celebrate the completion of this project,” said Ward 2 City Council member Vondell Richmond.

Mount Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society Director of Education Mike Taliento called the vote a big win for local history.

“It was a clear signal from the City Council that they’re enthusiastic about celebrating the opportunity the piece of art will bring to the city,” Taliento said. “This monument provides the community with a chance to reflect on and celebrate our history and the important role the U.S. Colored Troops played.”

The monument

The 6-foot-tall bronze statue will be the fourth and final edition by Tennessee artist Roy W. Butler. Other editions of the design are located in Nashville, Missouri and Arkansas. Including its granite base, the statue will stand 9 feet tall.

Butler is also the artist behind Clarksville’s “Tennie,” a statue downtown commemorating Tennessee’s ratification of the 19th Amendment.

Fort Defiance was chosen to host the monument due to the role the site played in the Civil War.

USCT in Clarksville

According to Mount Olive historian Phyllis Smith, The 101st USCT was headquartered in Clarksville, and 30 USCT soldiers are buried at Mt. Olive Cemetery. As many as 3,000 former slaves joined the USCT through the Clarksville recruiting office, the site of which is now home to Austin Peay State University’s Dunn Center.

“We have a lot of history with the U.S. Colored Troops here, and their involvement in the Civil War is not one that is generally well known. We wanted to do something to commemorate these soldiers,” Smith said. “We wanted to make sure that they are remembered.”

As of July 28, the Mount Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society has raised $30,000 of the estimated $73,000 needed for the project. They hope to complete the project by June 16, 2022. Individuals and groups interesting in contributing can contact the organization through their website.