Slave Fields To Battlegrounds

Slave Fields To Battlegrounds. Rippavilla's Enslaved who Fought for Freedom. , Before the Civil War, 75 enslaved people toiled at Rippavilla, and many of them worked the fields in front of you. That changed after the January 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation. While the decree freed slaves only in areas not under Federal control, and therefore Tennessee was exempted from the proclamation, the region's enslaved population cared little for legal technicalities. When word of the Proclamation reached them, thousands of African American men, women, and children sought freedom. Some volunteered for the US Army., Joshua and Phillip had been enslaved at Rippavilla since birth. They fled bondage to enlist in the 12th United States Colored Troops (USCT) in the late summer of 1863. A civilian killed Phillip about a year later as he foraged for food., On December 16, 1864, Joshua's 12th USCT, along with the 13th and 100th USCT, part of Col. Charles R. Thompson's Second Colored Brigade, attacked Confederates holding Overton Hill south of Nashville. Joshua survived to be discharged in June 1865., Jerry was another enslaved man who fled Rippavilla. He enlisted in the 111th USCT and was captured at Sulphur Creek Trestle in September 1864. The Confederate government's policy was not to exchange Black POWs, so men like Jerry were returned to slavery. Other captured 111th USCT soldiers were sent to work on Mobile, Ala., fortifications, and Jerry likely shared that fate. He survived the war and was discharged from the Army in mid-1865., (sidebar) , What's In A Name? , The Cheairs family would have been considered part of the South's wealthy Planter Class, owners who enslaved at least 20 people. It was common practice for owners to force slaves to use their last names. Many of the enslaved who found freedom rejected their "slave names" and took new ones., (captions) , Col. Charles R. Thompson wrote of his USCT regiments at the Battle of Nashville, "They assaulted probably the strongest works on the entire line, and, though not successful, they vied with the old warriors in bravery, tenacity, and deeds of noble daring." The brigade suffered. 25% casualties at the fight. Courtesy Maine State Archives, Reenactors portray USCT relaxing and reading mail on the steps of a plantation house, a simple scene of momentous social change. Many USCT were former slaves, but after joining the US Army, they became free Federal employees, given sanction to fight and occupy the land where they once worked as slaves. - Courtesy Hannibal Guards