GRANBURY'S LUNETTE CATEGORY
October, 2021
FIRST HISTORICAL MARKER RECOGNIZING THE ROLE OF BLACK TROOPS IN THE BATTLE OF NASHVILLE HAS BEEN ERECTED NEAR GRANBURY’S LUNETTE
The African American troops of the Union army gained formal, public recognition on Oct. 15, 2021, when the Metro (Nashville) Historical Commission erected a marker near Granbury’s Lunette, some 157 years after they clashed on that ground with Confederate troops during the Battle of Nashville.
The marker is the first-ever commemoration of the important and unique role played by African-American troops in the Battle of Nashville. Other markers will follow, including two already in the advanced planning stages by the Battle of Nashville Trust.
Workers install USCT marker on Polk Avenue. Photo by Clay Bailey
Some 7,000 Union soldiers consisting mostly of United States Colored Troops (USCT) attacked Confederate forces at the Lunette during the foggy morning hours of Dec. 15, 1864, the opening salvos of the Battle of Nashville. The Lunette, a crescent shaped earthwork manned by about 340 Confederate soldiers, was anchoring the far right flank of the Confederate line.
The two brigades of Black troops, many of them former slaves, had virtually no combat experience. The First Brigade, consisting of five regiments (14th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 44th) and led by Col. Thomas Morgan, was decimated by Confederate troops after they were led into an untenable position that left them exposed to Confederate fire, with devastating consequences. To review more details about the battle at the Lunette and the Confederate right flank, visit the Granbury’s Lunette page on this website.
The historical marker had been in development for years with the work spearheaded by USCT descendant and reenactor Gary Burke, whose great-great-grandfather had been among the USCT ranks on that 1864 morning. His ancestor, Pvt. Peter Bailey, served in the First Brigade, Co. K, 17th USCT Regiment. The marker was placed on Polk Avenue at the intersection of Fiber Glass Road, within sight of the preserved remnants of Granbury’s Lunette. The Lunette is owned and maintained by the Gen. Joseph E. Johnston Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
The USCT marker reads:
BATTLE OF NASHVILLE
Attack By US Colored Troops
On The Confederate Right Flank
After defeating the Confederate army at Franklin, Union troops under Gen. John Schofield returned to Nashville. Confederate troops under Gen. John Bell Hood followed, and spent 2 weeks preparing to assault the capital. The Confederate line was anchored by Granbury’s Lunette, an earthworks fortification with four artillery pieces and 344 men under the command of Gen. Benjamin Cheatham. Early on Dec. 15, 1864, three brigades under Maj. Gen. James Steedman attacked the lunette.
Reenactors Bill Radcliffe, Norman Hill and Gary Burke pose at the marker with Jessica Reeves. Photo by Clay Bailey.
At the ceremonial installation of the marker, Gary Burke was joined by other USCT reenactors, including Bill Radcliffe and Norman Hill, all dressed in their U.S. Army blue uniforms. “It took 157 years to finally get this marker to fruition,” Burke told the assembled crowd. The three USCT reenactors ended the program by singing the African American anthem “Oh, Freedom” acapella.
Burke mentioned numerous others involved in realization of the marker, including Jessica Reeves, coordinator of the Historical Markers Program for the Metro (Nashville) Historical Commission, along with two other Metro Historical Commissioners: Linda Wynn, a Fisk University history instructor and staff of the Tennessee Historical Commission, and Clay Bailey, a BONT board member and head of the history department at Montgomery Bell Academy; and Learotha Williams Jr., Metro Historic Zoning Commissioner and professor of African American history at Tennessee State University.
Jim Kay, president of the Battle of Nashville Trust, pointed out that prior to this USCT assault, officers in both Union and Confederate forces questioned whether Black troops would “stand and fight” in military combat. That myth vanished after the two USCT brigades displayed their courage and commitment at Granbury’s Lunette and again on Dec. 16, 1864, in the brutal assault up Peach Orchard Hill, after which officers of both armies commended their valor in the field of battle.
Kay credited the persistence of USCT descendants, especially Gary Burke, for bringing the long-overdue historical recognition to reality. “His efforts were monumental here. This has been a long-time dream of his and much of this credit goes to him and him alone,” Kay said.
The Battle of Nashville Trust has secured grants from the Tennessee Wars Commission to place two interpretative markers explaining the USCT’s involvement in the Battle of Nashville. One is planned for the Peach Orchard Hill area, site of one of the bloodiest conflicts of the two-day battle of Nashville. The site under consideration is the north slope of the hill where two USCT brigades distinguished themselves on the afternoon of Dec. 16, 1864. The other will be in the Granbury‘s Lunette area, near the railroad cut. The markers will be placed in conjunction with Civil War Trails, and are designed to interpret the historical action that occurred near the site of the signage. Civil War Trails signs are currently located in over 1,200 sites.