Reckoning, Inc., Ali Center honor KY Black Civil War soldiers

11.11.25

Reckoning, Inc. and Muhammad Ali Center honor Kentucky’s Black Civil War soldiers

New temporary exhibit now open through February 2026

LOUISVILLE, KY (November 8, 2025) — Reckoning Inc. is partnering with the Muhammad Ali Center for a new, temporary interactive exhibit entitled “Follow in Their Bootsteps: Stories of Kentucky’s Black Civil War Soldiers.” It opens on Veterans Day, November 11 and will remain in the lobby of the Ali Center through the end of February 2026.

The exhibit, funded by a grant from the Kentucky Historical Society, tells the stories of 10 African American soldiers from Kentucky who served in the Civil War. Collectively, their service represents the breadth of ways in which Black soldiers were utilized during the war; from driving supply wagons and working in field kitchens, to guarding Confederate prisoners and fighting on the front lines. Some of these soldiers witnessed Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse and then were sent to Texas to guard the southern border. Others served in the 5th U.S. Colored Cavalry Regiment, which lost men in two massacres, one at the Battle of Saltville, Virginia, and one in Simpsonville, Kentucky, when Confederate guerillas killed 22 soldiers in an ambush while the soldiers were driving cattle to Louisville.

For Black men in Kentucky, enlisting in the Union Army was a difficult and often dangerous proposition. Kentucky was the last state in the Union to allow Black men to join the Army, whether enslaved or free. And even after it became legal in the summer of 1864, it was still a deeply unpopular policy among many white Kentuckians, with some using deadly force to keep enslaved men from enlisting. It was also treacherous for enslaved men to travel through the state to enlistment sites, as they could be caught by “slave catchers” who were paid bounties to return enslaved people to their enslavers.

And yet, nearly 24,000 Black men from Kentucky braved these challenges and joined the Union Army, with over 44% of eligible Black men enlisting, the highest percentage of any state. This represented roughly 13% of the 186,000 U.S. Colored Troops who served in the Civil War, and one-quarter of all the soldiers who served in the Union Army from Kentucky.

To explore the research Reckoning, Inc. has done into the lives of the Kentucky’s Black Civil War soldiers, including archival documents and detailed family trees, please visit their website at reckoninginc.org.

About Reckoning, Inc.

Reckoning, Inc. is 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to examine the legacy of slavery in America, and to create ways for communities to engage with this information through research projects, media productions, educational curricula, online content, and other means

About the Muhammad Ali Center

The Muhammad Ali Center is a 501(c)(3) that prides itself on being much more than a museum. As an athlete, a humanitarian, a global voice and man guided by faith, Muhammad Ali embodied a pursuit and belief in the greatness found in all people. Founded in 2005 by Lonnie and Muhammad Ali in his hometown of Louisville, the Center is dedicated to honoring Ali and continuing work based on his core principles.

Media Contact:  
Dustin Vogt
Muhammad Ali Center
dvogt@alicenter.org
502.992.5330

Dan Gediman
Reckoning, Inc.
dan@reckoninginc.org
502.299.2565