About the Project

(Builders Defenders)
About/Summary: Information about the ~18,500 enslaved and free Black people who built Nashville’s Civil War defenses and fought in the USCT at the Battle of Nashville.
Project Start Date: 2023
Last Updated: 2023

Project Type:

  • Digital Collections, Databases, & Archives
  • Educational Resources
  • Local History & Local Places
Modality: Digital

Topics Covered:

  • Abolitionists/Emancipation/Reconstruction
  • Black Communities/Urban Renewal
  • Black Men/Masculinity
  • Black People – Race Identity
  • Black Soldiers/American Civil War
  • Digital Humanities
  • U.S. History

Era Studied:

  • 19th Century
Location Studied: Middle Tennessee, Fort Negley, Nashville, Tennessee State Penitentiary
Notable People Studied: N/A

Related Media: Sutton, Angela. “Enslaved and Free Black Builders of Nashville’s Civil War Fortifications, 1862-1863: A List from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.” Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation 2, no. 3 (2021): 9-16. https://doi.org/10.25971/CDYH-CR03.

Sutton, Angela and Jessica Fletcher. “Supplemental Materials and Claims-Making of Enslaved and Free Laborers of the US Army in Civil War Nashville, 1862-1879.” Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation 4, no. 1 (2023): 48-60. https://doi.org/10.25971/tyda-9n03.

People and Resources

Organization Type:

  • PWI (Undergraduate)
  • Museum
  • Community Group

Creators and Contributors:

  • Faculty
  • Digital/Design Professionals
  • K-12 Educators
  • Graduate Students
  • Community Members
  • Museum Professionals
  • Undergraduate Students
Number of Named Contributors: 11-25

Funding/Resources:

  • Grants/Awards (Public, Federal)
  • Grants/Awards (Institutional, Internal)
  • Institutional Operating Budget (Internal)

Specific Funding Sources: National Endowment for the Humanities Digital Advancement Grant

National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program

Vanderbilt University

Honors and Awards: Unspecified

Minority Leadership:

  • Women Run

Contact Information

Project Home Country/Territory: United States
Location: Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN
Secondary Locations: N/A
Email: Unknown
Does this page need updating? Contact us at mappingbdph@gmail.com.