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Kentucky's African American Civil War Memorial

Introduction

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Located in Greenhill Cemetery, this small memorial was dedicated in 1924 to honor African Americans from Kentucky who defended the Union in the Civil War. The Woman's' Relief Corps dedicated the monument on July 4, 1924. African Americans constituted nearly one-third of the Union troops from Kentucky, and this was the only monument to Black soldiers created before the war's centennial.

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Backstory and Context

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The Emancipation Proclamation included an end to the bar on African American enlistment in the United States Army. While many in Kentucky opposed the enlistment of Black soldiers, one-third of the troops who fought for the Union from Kentucky were African Americans.

Cite This Entry


Admin, Clio, Kayla Brody, and Mallory Stanley. "Kentucky's African American Civil War Memorial." Clio: Your Guide to History. November 26, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://theclio.com/entry/52217

Sources

African American Troops in Kentucky during the Civil War:. Accessed December 12, 2017. http://www.academia.edu/10152134/African_American_Troops_in_Far_West_Kentucky_during_the_Civil_War_R.... 

Hine, Darlene C. Hine, William C. The African-American Odyssey. Edition 3rd. Vol. combined. NJ. Pearson, 2006.

Kentucky African American Civil War Memorial. HMdb.org. Accessed December 8, 2017. https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=84704. 

Talbott, Tim. Kentucky African American Civil War Memorial. ExploreKYHistory. Accessed December 7, 2017. http://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/191.

Additional Information

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