I'd like to tell you a little about the Civil War now. There are a lot of facts most people don’t know about Tennessee during the Civil War. I think the Civil War is particularly interesting, especially the battles and people in Tennessee who really played an important part in the War Between the States.
First of all, just stop and take a look at the hills and wooded areas all over the state that haven’t been touched by companies developing shopping centers and subdivisions. If you think about those areas, it’s easy to imagine how the confederate and union soldiers must have fought in those hills. They were either on foot or horseback and just imagine them pushing and pulling those old cannons. Makes me tired just thinking about it.
I wonder how many people know that Tennessee was the last state to secede from the Union during the Civil War and it was the first state to be readmitted after the war. East Tennesseans were strongly pro-Union, while West and Middle Tennesseans were primarily on the side of the Confederacy. Tennessee ranks number one among other states in the total number of soldiers who fought in the War Between the States.
Listen to this. In 1861, Tennessee Governor Isham Harris signed into law a bill that, and I quote, "allows all men of color" to join the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Within a month, over 1,000 Black Tennesseans joined General Robert E. Lee's Virginia campaign. You know that’s a lot of people in a short period of time considering that back then news spread mostly by word of mouth.
The Battle of Franklin was about the worst battle in the war. Here's a little about what happened there.
The Nashville area, especially Franklin, Tennessee which is just south of Nashville, was in the thick of things during the Civil War. The Battle of Franklin is considered one of the most devastating in the
history of warfare. It has been called "the bloodiest hours of the American Civil War." It only lasted about five hours and it was the smallest battlefield in the war because it was only two miles long and one and a half miles wide. Not only were there 2,500 Union casualties, but Patrick Cleburne and five other
history of warfare. It has been called "the bloodiest hours of the American Civil War." It only lasted about five hours and it was the smallest battlefield in the war because it was only two miles long and one and a half miles wide. Not only were there 2,500 Union casualties, but Patrick Cleburne and five other
Confederate Generals were among the battle's 7,000 Confederate casualties. More generals were killed at the Battle of Franklin than any other battle in history. There were a total of 9,500 people killed or injured in five hours. It’s really hard to picture just how fierce the fighting must have been in those days. They had primitive weapons, by today’s standards, and there was a lot of hand to hand combat. Listen to this. The Carter House Farm Office, in Franklin, is recognized as being the most battle-scarred building left standing from the Civil War. The structure is riddled with 1,000 bullet holes from the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. Lieutenant Todd Carter was serving with the Confederate Army of Tennessee when the battle of Franklin took place around his parents’ farm. Todd Carter was mortally wounded just yards from his own home. The Carter House was purchased by the State of Tennessee in 1951 and first opened to the public in 1953. It is a Registered Historic Landmark, and is dedicated to all Americans who fought in that battle.
It’s amazing to think that more Civil War battles were fought in Tennessee than any other state except Virginia. The first major Union victory fought in the Civil War was at Fort Donelson, in Nashville, in 1862 and did you know that there are four national military parks in Tennessee? They are Chickamauga-Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Stones River in Murfreesboro, Shiloh near Savannah, and Fort Donelson near Dover.
MORE TO COME ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR IN TENNESSEE
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