During February 1864, the Adjutant General of the U.S. Army, Lorenzo Thomas, under the direction of Secretary of War Edwin L. Stanton, authorized Union Army recruitment of African Americans in Kentucky. The 8th United States Heavy Artillery (Colored) was one of these units, recruited largely in the Paducah area and headquartered at Fort Anderson throughout the war. By the middle of March 1864, 274 men had enlisted in what was then called the First Kentucky Heavy Artillery, African Descent. Lieutenant R.D. Cunningham oversaw recruiting and trained the men to operate artillery at Fort Anderson and to serve as infantrymen. Because many people had crossed state lines while leaving slavery, confusion arose over which state should receive credit toward enlistment quotas for African Americans. As the various African American units were redesignated as United States Colored Troops, the First Kentucky Heavy Artillery, African Descent became the 7th United States Heavy Artillery (Colored) and finally the 8th United States Heavy Artillery (Colored). On March 25, 1864, the Eighth formed a major part of the Fort Anderson garrison alongside 120 men from the 122nd Illinois Infantry and 271 from the 16th Kentucky Cavalry under Colonel Stephen G. Hicks, with support from the federal gunboats Peosta and Pawpaw on the Ohio River. During the Battle of Paducah that day, the Eighth fought well, and Hicks, who had opposed the enlistment of African Americans, favorably compared their conduct in combat to that of the best troops he had served with during the war. The Eighth continued recruiting throughout the war and by May 1864 had reached 317 men under Colonel Henry T. Barry. When the unit joined the 132nd Illinois Infantry on an expedition to investigate reported Confederate activity near Haddix's Ferry on July 27, 1864, 400 men from the Eighth took part along with 200 from the Illinois regiment. A similar mission in August led to a small skirmish near Smithland, Kentucky. At the end of the war in April 1865, the Eighth was transferred to Texas, where it remained until it was mustered out of federal service on February 10, 1866.