8th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. During the Civil War, Paducah was the first city in Ky. where an African American regiment, the 8th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, was officially organized & credited to the state. Parts of other black regiments also recruited here. Slaves who joined earned their freedom. Paducah also the site of Ft. Anderson, an earthen fort built by Union soldiers. (Reverse) On March 25, 1864, Confederate troops attacked Ft. Anderson. The fort’s left flank was located near here, and the 8th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery helped repulse the assault. This unit and other African American regiments recruited in Ky. and across the nation helped win the war for the Union.