Fourth United States Colored Heavy Artillery
The Fourth United States Colored Heavy Artillery was initially organized as the Second Tennessee Heavy Artillery, African Descent and also briefly known as the Third Mississippi. Despite its initial designation as a Tennessee unit and second assignment to Mississippi, the Fourth was largely recruited in the Columbus area. Many of those who enlisted in the Fourth came there from the surrounding area of the lower South seeking freedom. Because of opposition by Kentucky's political leaders to the enlistment of African Americans in the Army, no such units have a Kentucky designation.
The Fourth's headquarters were in Columbus from its creation in July of 1863 through July of 1865. It was mustered out of service February 25, 1866 while serving at Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The regiment was either attached to District Headquarters at Columbus or the garrison at Fort Halleck, one of the names used for the base at Columbus.
The entire regiment did not serve in the same place at all times. Company C, for example, was moved to Island 10 to guard the contraband colony there between June 25 and July 25, 1863. They then accompanied Lt. Colonel Roberts on an expedition to Arkansas before returning to Columbus.
Companies D, I, and L saw action in the second battle of Fort Donelson on October 10-11, 1864. Company I lost an officer, Lt. Johnson, and three enlisted men with an additional five wounded. Federal forces successfully repelled this Confederate attack on Fort Donelson.
Other companies of the Fourth served at many towns in the Purchase region of Kentucky and Tennessee, guarding the railroad, bridges, key roads, and river ports. Communities included Hickman and Moscow in Kentucky and Union City, Pine Bluff, and Crockett in Tennessee. Since the District of Columbus included all of Kentucky west of the Tennessee River and much of the western part of Tennessee, companies and detachments from the Fourth served in many other communities and patrolled large areas protecting communications and transportation lines. These patrols, along with picket duty were a regular part of the routine of a soldier's life.
Companies were frequently assigned to recruiting duty, which took them from Columbus for extended periods to enlist other African Americans in the Army. Companies D, I, and K were on recruiting duty, helping raise the 119th United States Colored Infantry when they encountered Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry near Fort Donelson in October of 1864.
The Fourth shared the duties at Columbus with the other units, all white, stationed there throughout the War. Because Columbus was a key transshipment point these duties frequently involved unloading riverboats, loading railroad cars, and then escorting the rail cars to their destination. Black and white troops shared in these duties, as they did picket and patrol, which in the strongly pro-Confederate Purchase region could be hazardous duty. After deactivation, many members of the Fourth remained in Columbus and its vicinity and settled there.
Courtesy hmdb.org
