On Juneteenth a new statue honoring the United States Colored Troops (USCT) was unveiled at Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center in Clarksville, Tennessee. The city north of Nashville was captured by Union troops in 1862 and became a refuge for Blacks fleeing slavery. After the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, the army began to recruit Black men into the 16th USCT. Fort Defiance is a fort constructed by the Confederates that fell to Union forces. According to a local news report:
The model for the sculpture was Bill Radcliffe, a Navy veteran, firefighter, and U.S. Colored Troops Reenactor who lives in Nashville.
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