User:Mr288361/Personal Sandbox

Nashville, Tennessee played a crucial, albeit underspoken role during the Civil War. Originally a state that had serious deliberations about seceding from the Union, Tennessee was officially the last state to secede on June 24, 1861. Because of the strong pockets of Union factions and sentiment within the state, Tennessee immediately became a target of the Union Army looking to reclaim the state from the Confederates. Because Nashville was the capital of Tennessee, the city took a large brunt of this Union Interest. Nashville was considered to be the largest and most important city below the Ohio River, New Orleans notwithstanding. It also had a desirable port on the Cumberland River which could aid the war effort and only fueled Union interest harder. Not coincidentally, Nashville was the first Confederate State Capital to fall to the Union on February, 25th 1862.

Guerilla attacks and staged uprisings were conducted by Confederates sporadically but none seriously threatened the Union occupation of the city. The city remained under Union control until the end of the War. The Battle of Nashville, the last great battle of the Western Theater in the Civil War, took place in December of 1864 and put an end to large scale fighting in the Western Theater.

Before The War
Tennessee’s role prior to the Civil War was nearly as central as its location. Lying right in the middle of 19th Century pre-Civil War America,  Tennessee had originally strong Union sentiments, wanting to remain with the northern states. A strong, vocal minority, who was very critical of the northern states and President Lincoln’s policies on slavery helped force the effort to secede from the Union. Still though, Governor Isham G. Harris believed in sovereignty, and that the only people qualified to make a decision regarding slavery within the state were the residents within the state. Splintering Lincoln’s policy to abolish slavery was the first sign of dissension within Tennessee that led to the eventual cessation from the Union. Following Lincoln’s attack on Fort Sumpter in South Carolina and fearing hostilities and recognizing that Tennessee lie on the border of Kentucky, a state with dual governments, Governor Harris mobilized a military force to counter possible Union invasion.

Tennessee Secedes From The Union
Tennessee officially seceded from the Union on June 24th, 1861. This was a controversial decision to make. East Tennessee held firmly in their position to remain with the Union, while West Tennessee was in support of seceding, leaving the decision up to Middle Tennessee. Middle Tennessee, originally split on the decision to secede in February of 1861, provided overwhelming support to secede months later. With that, Tennessee officially joined the Confederacy.

Fall of Nashville
After Tennessee seceded from the Union, it was targeted by the Union Army almost immediately. Lincoln had seen that there was a significant faction that had not wanted to secede from the Union. Taking Tennessee would provide the first step in slowly minimizing the Confederate presence in America and eventually lead down a road to Confederate defeat. As the capital of Tennessee, Nashville was an immediate target for the Union Army. In addition to the symbolic nature of seizing a Confederate State’s capital, Nashville also had a port on the Cumberland River that proved vital for either army who controlled it. This port was central to the Union Army’s plan. With this, they provided a go between from the Northern States in the Union and the Confederate states. Nashville fell to the Union on February 25, 1862. 11 days earlier, The General Assembly was in session in Nashville when Fort Donelson fell to the Union Army on February 16th, led by a then obscure Ulysses S. Grant. With nothing standing in between Fort Donelson and Nashville, the Union Army made their way to the capital. Seeing that Nashville would soon be under Union Control, Governor Harris officially moved the Confederate capitol to Memphis and evacuated the city of all government officials 3 days later on the 19th. Following this decision, and seeing no reason now to defend the town, the Confederate Army evacuated Nashville on February 23rd and on the 25th, Union Forces, under the command of Don Carlos Buell, officially occupied Nashville, the former Confederate capitol of Tennessee.

Union Occupation of Nashville
Following the Union Occupation of Nashville, it became one of the most important shipping and supply depot. President Lincoln appointed Andrew Johnson (who later became the United States 17th President after Lincoln was assassinated in 1865) the Military Governor of Tennessee. Johnson was not the popular choice, but was the ideal one. He was previously the governor of Tennessee, currently had a seat in the Senate, and was a loyal Unionist. He set up his government offices in Nashville.

The Union occupation was contentious yet civil affair. When the Union initially occupied Nashville, there was estimated to be less than 200 loyal Unionists in the city at the time. This did not though, translate into a steadfast defense of the city. The Union army walked in untouched and it by and large stayed that way. Martial law was imposed but in hope to gain the favor of secessionist citizens who were still living in Nashville throughout 1862, Union forces were not initially quick to enforce it. However, loyalists to the south remained defiant and hostile and in turn gave the Union Forces no other choice than to enforce martial law with force. This included the destruction and seizure of private property, imprisonment for those not willing to take an oath of allegiance to the Union and the forced emancipation of slaves.

During this time, slavery was officially abolished in Tennessee by Johnson, though the enforcement was lax at best as the majority of state still shared confederate sentiments. Nashville was a central hub for runaway slaves and refugees. Knowing that they would be protected should they reach Nashville, many flocked, particularly after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863. Because Nashville was a central supply depot for the Union Army, many jobs were available to be had in warehouses, ports, and military hospitals. It was also considerably safer, for runaway slaves and refugees alike, than the country side, where lawlessness was ever present. There was also a very popular red light district in Nashville during this time where prostitution flourished. The two major contributing factors were the transient population of Nashville during this time, and the present military force of Union Soldiers, creating a largely male population. Prostitution was such a part of life that Union wartime regulations that prostitutes working in Nashville had to pass medical examinations so as not to have soldiers contract venereal diseases from them.

Nashville played a central role in the war effort in the south. It acted as a base of operations for the campaigns that captured both Chattanooga and Atlanta from Confederate forces.

Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville played a crucial role in ending the Civil War. It essentially ended all large scale fighting in the Western Theatre of the Civil War in 1864. It was a 2 day battle, occurring on December 15-16. After a series of small skirmishes, uprisings, and insurgencies occurring of the few years by Confederate forces and sympathizers, the Confederate Army led by Lt. Gen Hood made a final push to retake Nashville after a lengthy Union Occupation. The confederate forces were not at full strength, following their defeat at Atlanta.

Major General George H. Thomas, though defending the city of Nashville and recognizing that Confederate forces were not strong enough to take the offensive. Thomas attacked Hood’s Army of Tennessee, the Confederate’s second largest fighting force, and destroyed them. The swift, two day defeat was so decisive that the Army of Tennessee, one of the Confederate best fighting forces never fought again. With Nashville, the second most important city in the Confederacy after New Orleans, occupied, fought for, and defeated, the Civil War was winding to a close.

Aftermath
All the life that was infused in the Nashville during the Civil War sustained after the war was over. The Capitol returned to Nashville (though never technically left) and the city became a vital shipping center for the south. This importance The Union occupation actually infused feelings of defeat amongst Confederate loyalists in both Nashville and the state as a whole. Tie this in with the factor that with the exception of Virginia, more battles were fought in the state of Tennessee than any other state during the Civil War. This took its toll on the people of Nashville and took some time to accept that they were part of a nation many did not want to have anything to do with.