150 Years | Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial

Affair at Travisville
September 29th., 1861 marks the date of what has become known as the Affair at Travisville. Until the events of this day transpired, people locally had assured themselves that they were too far off the beaten paths to see any fighting. The event of that particular Sunday, one hundred and forty one years ago, represents the first military action in Tennessee during the Civil War. Only in the past several years has Travisville been acknowledged as the official beginning of the conflict and the struggle for control in Tennessee. Call 1-888-406-4704 or e-mail info@theborderlands.com for more ...more

Region:  Upper Cumberland
City:  Byrdstown, TN
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Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
The site marks the home of the 17th president, who succeeded Lincoln and oversaw Reconstruction. Born in 1808, Andrew Johnson ran away from home with his brother to Greeneville, Tennessee, at age 16, where he became a tailor. Johnson and his wife, Eliza McCardle, had five children. Eliza tutored her husband in arithmetic, algebra, basic literacy and writing skills. Johnson organized a worker's party and was elected alderman and, later, mayor. He became a spokesman for farmers and mountaineers against the wealthy, elite planters who had controlled the state and nation. In 1843, he became the first Democrat elected from Tennessee's ...more

Region:  Northeast
City:  Greeneville, TN
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Attack on the Union Left
Across this ground surged elements of General William Loring’s division, composed of Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana troops. They crashed into the Union line, held by Indiana troops, with little success. Loring’s attack soon ...more

Region:  Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City:  Franklin, TN
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Battle of Bean Station Civil War Burial Site
When 4,000 Union troops met Confederate forces in December 1863 at the Battle of Bean Station, it resulted in 1,600 casualties. This site honors those brave soldiers. The grounds where the Battle of Bean Station was fought are now under the waters of Cherokee Lake. Note the island just off shore; it is the "Breastworks," an earthen fortification used during ...more

Region:  East Tennessee
City:  Rutledge, TN
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Battle of Franklin Trust
The Battle of Franklin Trust is dedicated to a better understanding of the five bloodiest hours of the American Civil War. Two historic landmarks witnessed the carnage first hand: The Carter House and Carnton ...more

Region:  Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City:  Franklin, TN
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Battle of Hartsville Civil War Driving Tour & Memorial Park
Across courthouse, signs direct you to trail that overlooks battlefield. Graves of Civil War soldiers and monument with all names ...more

Region:  Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City:  Hartsville, TN
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Battle of Hartsville Memorial Park
17-stop self guided driving tour and Battle of Hartsville Memorial ...more

Region:  Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City:  Hartsville, TN
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Battle of Limestone Station Historical Marker
On September 8, 1863, after two hours of fighting, the 100th Ohio Volunteer Infantry surrendered to a larger Confederate force led by Gen. Alfred E. Jackson. More than 200 Union officers and soldiers were taken ...more

Region:  East Tennessee
City:  Limestone, TN
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Battle of Nashville Driving Tour at Shys Hill
The Battle of Nashville was one of the final large-scale engagements of the Civil War.  Fought on Dec. 15-16, 1864, the Confederacy’s last offensive action finished the Army of Tennessee as an effective fighting force.  The driving tour includes the main points of the Union defenses of Nashville and the Confederate lines of battle. Brochures are available at the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Historical Commission, Mon.-Fri. and the Nashville Visitors Center, daily.  Admission is ...more

Region:  Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City:  Nashville, TN
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Battle of Parkers Crossroads Self-Guided Driving Tour
The Battle of Parkers Crossroads was fought Dec. 31, 1862. The Parkers Crossroads Battlefield Park offers a self-guided driving tour, two miles of paved walking trails with interpretative signs and battlefield ...more

Region:  Southwest
City:  Parker's Crossroads, TN
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Battle of Statesville
Along an old country road (now State Hwy. 267) and the main road leading to Lebanon (U.S. Hwy. 70), the Confederate cavalry of John Hunt Morgan encountered the 101st Indian Infantry and fought a short battle on March 19, ...more

Region:  Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City:  Watertown, TN
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Beech Grove Confederate Cemetery & Park
Home of Hoover's Gap Civil War Battlefield. Site brochures and interpretive signs of one of the South's earliest Confederate ...more

Region:  Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City:  Beech Grove, TN
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Belmont Mansion
The largest house museum in Tennessee. One of the few 19th-century homes in which the story revolves around a woman. The 1853 home of Joseph and Adelicia Acklen, it served as headquarters for Union General David Stanley and General Thomas J. Wood. After her husband died, the remarkable Adelicia, one of the richest women in America and a shrewd business woman, secretly did business with both sides to survive. During the war, the homes served as headquarters for Union Gen. David Stanley and Gen. Thomas J. Wood. Join historic gardening experts each Saturday for a guided tour of the vibrant gardens ...more

Region:  Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City:  Nashville, TN
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Bethesda Church and Cemetery
Bethesda Church, built in 1835, was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers on both sides during the Civil War, as well as serving patients with smallpox. The cemetery behind the church contains the graves of 80 Confederate soldiers. An informational display on the church grounds provides more information on the history of the building and grounds. The site is a stop on Tennessee’s Civil War ...more

Region:  Knoxville & Middle East
City:  Morristown, TN
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Blountville Cemetery & Battlefield
This is where Union forces stood as they attacked Blountville on September 22, 1863, during a campaign to control the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. The railroad running through this section was the chief means of communication, travel and supply for the South. For this reason, the bridges, telegraph lines and tracks had to be protected. Confederate forces possessed the railroad lines for nearly three years of the war, but when Burnside was assigned to the command in East Tennessee, reaching Knoxville, September 3, 1863, he mapped out an aggressive campaign to gain control of the railroad. In the Battle of Blountville, Confederate ...more

Region:  Northeast
City:  Blountville, TN
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Britton Lane Civil War Battlefield
Site of 1862 battle. Restored log cabin used as a hospital on battlefield site. More than 5,000 troops met in ...more

Region:  Southwest
City:  Denmark, TN
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Bulls Gap Battle Site
 This was the site of several skirmishes and campsites during the Civil War. One of the bridges successfully destroyed by the Bridge Burners was Lick Creek Bridge in Bull’s Gap. In November 1864, Major General John C. Breckinridge undertook an expedition into East Tennessee, anticipating that Confederate sympathizers would join his force and help drive the Yankees from the area. The Federals initially retired in front of this force and, on November 10, were at Bull's Gap on the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad.rnThe Confederates attacked on the morning of the 11th but were repulsed. Artillery fire continued throughout the ...more

Region:  Northeast
City:  Bulls Gap, TN
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Bulls Gap Historic District
1880s Main Street is still fully intact. Includes 27 structures, ranging from Old Country Store to Gilley's Hotel and private residences. This was the site of several skirmishes and campsites during the Civil War. One of the bridges successfully destroyed by The Bridge Burners was Lick Creek Bridge in Bulls ...more

Region:  Northeast
City:  Bulls Gap, TN
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Buttonwillow Civil War Dinner Theater
SELECTED BY THE TRAVEL CHANNEL and FEATURED ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Located in the old Buttonwillow Church just outside of Chattanooga....The Buttonwillow Church Civil War Dinner Theater proudly presents "Granddaddy's Watch", a moving two-hour live performance recently featured on PBS and based on actual events. The War Between the States comes to life on a magnificent 19th-century set in the beautifully reproduced Victorian dining and performance hall. The story of a Union soldier meeting his Confederate sister on the battlefield is based on hundreds of diaries and memoirs from the period. Open year-round, this indoor, family-friendly production in Whitwell (just 35 miles ...more

Region:  Chattanooga & Southeast
City:  Whitwell, TN
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Cameron Hill
In August 1863 Confederate artillery responded to its Union counterpart across the river from Cameron Hill to little effect. A few weeks later, Union soldiers established a signal station on the hill. Observers from here reported the Union victory Nov 24 on Lookout Mountain.rnTrails marker is at AT&T ...more

Region:  Chattanooga & Southeast
City:  Chattanooga, TN
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