Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

United States Colored Troops

U.S.C.T.

Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 28, 2022

1. United States Colored Troops Marker

Inscription.
When President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, he planted the seed of a "new birth of freedom."

As the Civil War persisted and recruits were needed, the War Department issued General Orders No. 143 on May 22, 1863, to allow African Americans to serve in the Union Army. Nearly 200,000 black men enlisted to protect their freedom and defy the inhumane practice of slavery.

The army's Department of the Cumberland issued General Orders No. 296 on December 25, 1863, establishing Chattanooga National Cemetery.

Among other roles, black troops were responsible for locating Union dead in the vicinity of the city and re-burying them here.

More than 880 U.S. Colored Troops are buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery, a solemn landscape created in large measure through their labor and sacrifice.

Erected 2021 by The City of Chattanooga Neighboroots Program with the Unity Group of Chattanooga.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is May 22, 1863.

Location. 35° 2.149′ N, 85° 17.336′ W. Memorial is in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Hamilton County. It can be

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reached from South Holtzclaw Avenue 0.2 miles south of Bailey Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located on Memorial Circle of Honor in the center of Chattanooga National Cemetery. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 1200 Bailey Ave, Chattanooga TN 37404, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Vietnam War Memorial (here, next to this marker); Veterans Memorial (here, next to this marker); Military Widows (here, next to this marker); Navy Seabees (a few steps from this marker); Sailor Rest Your Oars (a few steps from this marker); In Honor of the Chosin Few Combatants of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir (a few steps from this marker); The Greatest Generation (a few steps from this marker); 29th Infantry Division (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chattanooga.

Also see . . . Chattanooga National Cemetery. National Cemetery Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs (Submitted on November 2, 2022.)

Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 28, 2022

2. United States Colored Troops Marker

Lookout Mountain is in the distance, at right.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 526 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 1, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.