Headquarters of the 101st United States Colored Troops Marker

During the Civil War, enslaved men joined the Union Army to fight for their freedom as part of the United States Colored Troops (USCT). The journal of an officer of the 101st USCT revealed that the Howard Pettus home served as the Headquarters for the 101st regiment in Clarksville during the war. Before demolition, the home was located where the Dunn Center now stands on the APSU campus. 1,346 men served in the 101st USCT and 243 died during the Civil War. Clarksville was a recruiting location for the 16th and 101st Infantries. Men from the area also joined the 9th U.S. Heavy Artillery and the 12th, 13th, and 17th Infantries.