Existing comment:
"Negores of every description are coming in to the Yankees... recruiting among the men is going as rapidly as could be desired. THe Regiment ... will soon be filled."
-- Serepta Jordan on the formation of the 16th USCT, January 24, 1864
From Contraband to The Sable Arm:
Union forts became magnets for runaway slaves seeking freedom and protection. Due to confusion in laws, some officers kept the slaves in camp, while others returned them to their masters. Slaves who stayed were called "Contrabands." Men worked on Union fortifications or drove supply wagons. Women cooked, washed clothing and repaired uniforms. Forced labor became paid labor as the war progressed.
After the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, Lincoln's administration recruited United States Colored Troops regiments. Newspaper ads listed recruiting locations including Clarksville. Approximately 2,000 men joined the 16th USCT and the 9th US Colored Heavy Artillery, raised in Clarksville. Others joined the 12th, 13th, 17th and 101st USCT in other parts of Middle Tennessee. Many recruits came from the Contraband camps.
"Sable Arm" was a Nineteenth Century term referring to Black troops.
One Man's Story:
Andrew Jackson Kendrick, born a slave in 1836, fought in the battle of Nashville. He returned home to New Providence, attended school, and later made his living teaching others to read.
"I slipped off and joined the war because I wanted to help us get out of bondage."
-- Andrew Jackson Kendrick |