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In honor of Tennessee's US Colored Troops, a Clarksville organization's exciting contribution
https://clarksvillenow.com/local/u-s-colored-troops-monument-to-be-installed-at-fort-defiance-in-clarksville/
According to Mount Olive historian Phyllis Smith, The 101st USCT was headquartered in Clarksville, and 30 USCT soldiers are buried at Mt. Olive Cemetery. As many as 3,000 former slaves joined the USCT through the Clarksville recruiting office, the site of which is now home to Austin Peay State University’s Dunn Center.
"We have a lot of history with the U.S. Colored Troops here, and their involvement in the Civil War is not one that is generally well known. We wanted to do something to commemorate these soldiers,” Smith said. “We wanted to make sure that they are remembered.”
The website for the Mt. Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society is:
https://mtolivechps.weebly.com/2021-master-plan-projects.html
I'm a recent member of this organization, but I've been a big fan of their work since I visited the Mt. Olive Cemetery four years ago. The preservation of African American history is critical for the health and growth of our society. I would encourage any DUer who is making a trip through middle TN (I-24 runs right alongside Clarksville) to visit the cemetery, and to complete the visit with a tour through Fort Defiance.
