Athens in Limestone County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
The United State Colored Troops
Fort Henderson and Trinity School
Photographed By Mark Hilton, October 18, 2020
1. The United State Colored Troops Marker
Inscription.
The United State Colored Troops. Fort Henderson and Trinity School. , "The fort...was one of the best works of the kind I ever saw.” , Lt. Henry March, 115th Ohio, USA
Here you can see all that remains of Fort Henderson, the southeast bastion. Envision standing here during construction. The walls were 18 feet high. The moat in front of the parapet was 12 feet wide. Just close your eyes and smell the freshly dug earth. Felled trees with sharpened branches, the Civil War equivalent of barbed wire, were placed in front of the fort. By the fall of 1864, Fort Henderson was primarily manned by United States Colored Troops (USCTS) from three regiments, the 106th, 110th and 111th. The 110th made up the bulk of the garrison, which was commanded by the regiment's colonel, Wallace Campbell. Many in the regiment were former slaves from Athens or Limestone County. Among them were Company I's Julius Redus and his brother, Samuel, along with a blacksmith, John Jackson. George Allen served in Company H, with Moses Peete, a father with seven children. Doctor Peete, who received his name because of a visit to the local doctor as an infant, enlisted in December 1863 as did John Roberts. These men were fighting not only to restore the Union, but for their own freedom.
[Photo captions] , Top: After the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the War Department created the Bureau for Colored Troops. The office was responsible for raising and equipping black regiments, including the 1st United States Colored Troops photographed here. The USCT regiments at Fort Henderson were recruited from North Alabama and West Tennessee. By the end of the war, about 179,000 African Americans served in the Union army. Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Bottom middle: This 1949 photograph depicts Trinity principal Judson King in the fort's moat. Courtesy of the Tennessee Valley Authority
Bottom right: This photo of two unidentified men is labeled in Trinity principal Louise H. Allyn's handwriting “Old slaves who built the fort.” Courtesy of Amistad Research Center, New Orleans
"The fort...was one of the best works of the kind I
ever saw.” — Lt. Henry March, 115th Ohio, USA
Here you can see all that remains of Fort Henderson,
the southeast bastion. Envision standing here during
construction. The walls were 18 feet high. The moat
in front of the parapet was 12 feet wide. Just close
your eyes and smell the freshly dug earth. Felled
trees with sharpened branches, the Civil War equivalent of barbed wire, were placed in front of the fort.
By the fall of 1864, Fort Henderson was primarily
manned by United States Colored Troops (USCTS)
from three regiments, the 106th, 110th and 111th.
The 110th made up the bulk of the garrison, which
was commanded by the regiment's colonel, Wallace
Campbell. Many in the regiment were former slaves
from Athens or Limestone County. Among them were
Company I's Julius Redus and his brother, Samuel,
along with a blacksmith, John Jackson. George Allen served in Company H, with Moses Peete, a father with seven children. Doctor Peete, who received
his name because of a visit to the local doctor as an
infant, enlisted in December 1863 as did John Roberts. These men were fighting not only to restore the
Union, but for their own freedom.
[Photo captions]
Top: After the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863,
Click or scan to see this page online
the War Department created the Bureau for Colored Troops. The office was responsible for raising and equipping black regiments, including the 1st United States Colored Troops photographed here. The USCT regiments at Fort Henderson were recruited from North Alabama and West Tennessee. By the end of the war, about 179,000 African Americans served in the Union army. Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Bottom middle: This 1949 photograph depicts Trinity principal Judson King in the fort's moat.
Courtesy of the Tennessee Valley Authority
Bottom right: This photo of two unidentified men is labeled in Trinity principal Louise H. Allyn's handwriting “Old slaves who built the fort.” Courtesy of Amistad Research Center, New Orleans
Erected 2020 by American Battlefield Trust & Paul Bryant Jr.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1864.
Location. 34° 47.871′ N, 86° 58.788′ W. Marker is in Athens, Alabama, in Limestone County. Marker is on Trinity Circle north of Browns Ferry Street (County Road 29), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 606 Trinity Cir, Athens AL 35611, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Coleman Hill (within shouting distance
Credits. This page was last revised on October 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 241 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 19, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
