BLACK UNION SOLDIERS HONORED IN JUNETEENTH PARADE
Knoxville, Tennessee (JFK+50) The First Regiment of the United States Colored Heavy Artillery* will be honored at this year's Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade/March and Juneteenth Celebration.
Hayden Dunbar Evans reports that the Knoxville unit, a part of U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War, was organized in mid-1863 when Andrew Johnson** freed his slaves in Greenville, Tennessee.
JFK+50 NOTE
June 19, 1865 was the day African-American slaves in Galveston, Texas were informed of their freedom. This was more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth celebrates black culture and community while recognizing the legacy of slavery.
*First Regiment of U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, made up of 1700 Black Union soldiers, served from 1864 to 1866. They fought in Alabama, North Carolina & Virginia.
**Andrew Johnson bought his 1st slave in 1842 & freed all his slaves on August 8, 1863. All stayed on, however, as paid servants. As Military Governor of Tennessee, AJ freed all slaves in the state on October 24, 1864.
SOURCES
"Juneteenth parade will honor Black Union soldiers who fought for liberation," by Hayden Dunbar Evans, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, June 19, 2026, www.knoxnews.com/
"Slaves of Andrew Johnson," National Park Service, www.nps.gov/
