Early Life and Civil War
Enoch Fletcher was born in Clark County, Kentucky, on Feb. 15, 1846. Enslaved by John T. Clark, Fletcher spent the first 20 years of his life as part of the 4,764 enslaved people that made up 42% of Clark County’s total population.
In the face of danger, he made his way to Camp Nelson, where he enlisted under the name Enoch Clark, gaining his freedom by becoming a soldier on August 5, 1864. Mustered in on the same day, he became a private in Company F of the 12th US Colored Heavy Artillery [USCHA]. As a part of a heavy artillery unit, Clark received specialized training to properly operate permanently emplaced cannons at fortifications. Throughout his military service, Clark garrisoned the forts and earthworks at Camp Nelson and other places throughout Kentucky, such as Bowling Green in July 1865.
Kentucky’s major Civil War battles took place in 1862, years before Clark’s enlistment. However, this does not diminish the importance of his duties or the hardships that he experienced. Guerrilla warfare raged throughout Kentucky, and Clark participated in protecting the state from Confederate threats. Garrison duty might be perceived as simple or safe, but soldiers like Clark had to endure exposure to harsh weather and deadly outbreaks of disease. While the specifics of Clark’s life in the army are unknown, it was undoubtedly a long and difficult three years. Clark mustered out of the military at Louisville, Kentucky, on April 24, 1866.
Post-War Life
After the end of the Civil War, many formerly enslaved people chose to exercise their freedom by changing their names. Between his discharge in 1866 and the Federal Census of 1870, Enoch Clark did just this. Abandoning the surname of his former enslaver, Enoch adopted the last name Fletcher. With a new name and freedom in his bones, Enoch Fletcher worked as a farmer, married a woman named Jennie Marshal. The couple had six children over the course of their marriage. After nearly 10 years of living in Clark County, Fletcher moved his family to Wayne, Indiana, where he continued to be a farmer.
In 1888, his family once again relocated. At his new home in Muncie, Indiana, Fletcher began to work at the Ball Brothers Manufacturing Company as a glassmaker, learned to read and write, and became an integral member of Trinity United Methodist Church. As reported by the Indianapolis Recorder, Fletcher was credited with large contributions to the remodeling of Trinity Church’s interior in 1915.
During his 36 years in the Muncie community, Fletcher also experienced tragedy. On July 20, 1905, Lazarus Fletcher, Enoch’s second oldest son, drowned in Cummings Grove, west of Muncie. Fletcher’s wife also died within a few years of their son. Enoch Fletcher never remarried and stayed in Muncie until his death of lobar pneumonia in 1924.
Camp Nelson National Monument
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service