In Smith County and across Tennessee, the Civil War brought battles, military leaders, self-emancipation, divided communities, and hardship to small towns, farms, houses, and mills drawn into the conflict. Some of the state's 275,000 enslaved men and women freed themselves, and 20,000 self-liberated warriors fought for freedom in the U.S. Colored Troops. Although Tennessee seceded and supplied 120,000 soldiers to Confederate armies, Unionist sentiment remained strong, especially in eastern Tennessee, and 31,000 white Tennesseans fought for the Union, more than in any other Confederate state. Tennessee also saw more battles than any state except Virginia, and the conflict left deep, lingering scars in communities divided over secession and slavery.