New Concord in Calloway County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Slave Labor

Photographed by Shane Oliver, March 6, 2021

1. Slave Labor Marker

Inscription. Fort Heiman, in which you are standing, was built almost entirely by slaves from Mississippi and Alabama. Slaves, as well as white laborers pressed into Confederate service, helped to build all three forts guarding the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. This was a common practice. During the early years of the war the Confederate government refused to enlist slaves as soldiers, but it did press tens of thousands into army labor brigades that enhanced its war effort. These were usually men in their prime, between 18 and 40 years old, who were hired from their owners to load, transport, and unload supplies, wash uniforms, shine boots, mend clothes and tents, move ordnance, and cook and serve food. They were also used to build and repair roads and bridges, dig trenches and latrines, and construct fortifications. Because their work with the armies was often hard and dangerous, many slave owners were reluctant to send their valuable property to the battle front for fear of loss or damage.

(Image Caption):
After Forts Henry, Heiman, and Donelson were captured and occupied by Union Forces, they became havens for refugee slaves

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seeking freedom as well as protection from their former owners and the Confederate army.

Erected by Fort Donelson National Battlefield - National Park Service - US Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Forts and Castles • War, US Civil.

Location. 36° 30.097′ N, 88° 3.37′ W. Marker is in New Concord, Kentucky, in Calloway County. It can be reached from Fort Heiman Road 0.6 miles east of Kline Trail, on the left when traveling east. Marker is located at the Fort Heiman exhibit shelter, at the Fort Heiman Unit of Fort Donelson National Battlefield. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New Concord KY 42076, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Jackson Purchase.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the South,

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian

Fort Heiman Exhibit Shelter image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Shane Oliver, March 6, 2021

2. Fort Heiman Exhibit Shelter

Marker is located at the bottom right side of the exhibit shelter, below the "Pook Turtles" marker.

Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pook Turtles (here, next to this marker); Fort Heiman (here, next to this marker); Forrest Stages A Raid (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); An Unfinished Fort (approx. 0.2 miles away); Under Union Occupation (approx. half a mile away); Battle of Fort Henry (approx. 1.6 miles away in Tennessee); Fort Henry (approx. 1.7 miles away in Tennessee); Site of Fort Henry (approx. 2.3 miles away in Tennessee). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Concord.

Also see . . . Fort Donelson National Battlefield. National Park Service (Submitted on May 10, 2021.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 11, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 559 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 10, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.