In the mid-19th century Green Chambers (also known as Greenberry Chambers) lived as a slave in Barren County, Kentucky, with a wife, Charlotte, and five children who were apparently scattered among several slave owners. In 1864, Green was enlisted as a private in Company H of the 115th U.S. Colored Infantry in Bowling Green, Kentucky. His owner, Frank Chambers, received a certificate for the $100 bounty normally payable to an enlistee, as well as $300 in compensation for his value. In the fall of 1864 Green was severely injured while helping to erect a stockade at Fort Cynthiana, Kentucky — an injury that plagued him throughout his life.