Civil War In Tennessee

Tennessee History

Civil War in Tennessee

Tennessee was one of the most fought-over places in the Civil War. It was the last state to leave the Union, the first Confederate state readmitted to Congress, and a strategic crossroads where river forts, railroads, mountain gaps, and divided communities shaped the war in the West.

National Park Service map of Fort Donelson National Battlefield. Fort Donelson was one of the early Union victories that opened Middle Tennessee in 1862.

Secession Vote June 8, 1861

Confederate Order 11th and last state to secede

Principal Battles 38 in Tennessee

Readmitted July 24, 1866

How Tennessee Entered the War

Tennessee did not rush out of the Union after Abraham Lincoln's election. On February 9, 1861, voters rejected calling a secession convention. The state was deeply divided: many East Tennesseans remained strongly Unionist, while much of Middle and West Tennessee became more supportive of secession after the firing on Fort Sumter and Lincoln's call for troops.

Governor Isham G. Harris pushed Tennessee toward the Confederacy. In June 1861, voters approved separation from the United States, making Tennessee the last of the eleven Confederate states to secede. The decision never united the state. Families, churches, counties, and communities split, and Tennessee sent large numbers of men into both Confederate and Union service.

How Tennessee Exited the War

Union forces moved into Tennessee early. Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, and Nashville fell in February 1862, making Nashville the first Confederate state capital captured by Union troops. President Lincoln appointed East Tennessee Unionist Andrew Johnson as military governor, and Union occupation continued across much of the state while fighting shifted from river forts to railroads, mountain gaps, and the road to Atlanta.

By late 1864, the battles of Franklin and Nashville wrecked John Bell Hood's Confederate campaign in Tennessee. After the war, Tennessee moved faster than other former Confederate states toward restoration. It abolished slavery under state law, rejected secession, ratified the Fourteenth Amendment in July 1866, and was readmitted to representation in Congress on July 24, 1866.

Tennessee Civil War Timeline

February 9, 1861: Voters Reject Secession Tennessee voters initially chose not to call a secession convention, showing the state's early hesitation.

June 8, 1861: Tennessee Secedes After Fort Sumter and Lincoln's troop call, Tennessee voters approved secession and joined the Confederacy.

February 1862: Forts Henry and Donelson Fall Union victories opened the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers and forced Confederate evacuation of Nashville.

April 1862: Shiloh Stuns the Nation The Battle of Shiloh in Hardin became the bloodiest battle in American history up to that time.

November 1863: Chattanooga Opens the Deep South Union victory around Chattanooga created a launch point for the Atlanta Campaign.

December 1864: Nashville Breaks Hood's Campaign Union at Nashville effectively ended major Confederate offensive operations in Tennessee.

Siege of Knoxville and Fort Sanders

The Siege of Knoxville was part of the 1863 struggle for East Tennessee, a region with strong Unionist support and important rail connections. Union Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside occupied Knoxville in September 1863. Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet moved against the city in November, hoping to drive Burnside out and restore Confederate control in upper East Tennessee.

The best-known fight of the siege came at Fort Sanders on November 29, 1863. Fort Sanders stood northwest of downtown Knoxville and was defended by Union troops behind a deep ditch, sharpened obstacles, and steep earthworks. Longstreet's assault failed quickly and at heavy cost. The Union victory helped secure Knoxville, and Longstreet soon withdrew after learning of the Confederate defeat at Chattanooga.

Battle Outcome Fort Sanders was a Union victory and one of the sharpest moments of the Knoxville Campaign.

Casualty Imbalance Civil War Sites Advisory Commission data lists about 100 Union casualties and 780 Confederate casualties at Fort Sanders.

Confederate Leaders Around Knoxville

Several Confederate commanders were directly tied to the defense, occupation, or attempted recapture of Knoxville. Their roles show why East Tennessee remained such a contested region throughout the war.

Lt. Gen. James Longstreet Longstreet was the primary Confederate commander during the Siege of Knoxville and the Battle of Fort Sanders in late 1863. Sent west from the Eastern Theater, he tried to take the city but eventually abandoned the siege.

Gen. Braxton Bragg Bragg commanded the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Although his main base of operations was around Chattanooga, he had authority over major troop movements affecting East Tennessee.

Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer Zollicoffer was an East Tennessee native, newspaper editor, and Confederate commander in the region during autumn 1861. He was later killed at the Battle of Mill Springs in Kentucky.

Maj. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner Buckner commanded the Department of East Tennessee from Knoxville during summer 1863 before evacuating the city as Federal forces advanced.

Brig. Gen. William H. Carroll Carroll commanded the Confederate camp at the Knoxville fairgrounds and led the Department of East Tennessee during the winter of 1861-1862.

Col. Henry Marshall Ashby Ashby was an East Tennessee cavalry leader who commanded the 2nd Tennessee Cavalry and fought in campaigns across the region, including operations connected to Knoxville.

Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga

Missionary Ridge was the climactic action of the Battle of Chattanooga on November 25, 1863. After the Union opened the "Cracker Line" to feed and reinforce Chattanooga, Federal forces attacked Confederate positions around Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge. The ridge itself was the long defensive line held by Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee.

Union soldiers first took Confederate rifle pits at the base of the ridge, then continued upward in a dramatic assault that broke Bragg's line. The victory ended the Confederate siege of Chattanooga and made the city a major Union gateway into Georgia. It also set the stage for the 1864 Atlanta Campaign.

Part of Chattanooga Missionary Ridge is included in the November 23-25, 1863 Battle of Chattanooga entry in the battle chart.

Why It Mattered The Union opened a route into the Deep South and damaged Confederate control of the western theater.

Battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing

The Battle of Shiloh was fought April 6-7, 1862, in Hardin County near the Tennessee River. It is also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing because Union troops used Pittsburg Landing as a key river landing and supply point. The name Shiloh came from Shiloh Church, a small meetinghouse near the battlefield.

Confederate Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston and Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard attacked Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant before they could move deeper into Mississippi. The first day shocked both armies with intense fighting around places later remembered as the Hornet's Nest, the Sunken Road, and the Peach Orchard. Johnston was mortally wounded on April 6 while directing Confederate reserves. According to the National Park Service, he was the highest-ranking officer killed in combat during the Civil War and remains the highest-ranking American military officer ever killed in action. After Johnston's death, command of the Confederate army passed to Beauregard.

Union reinforcements arrived overnight, including troops under Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell. On April 7, Grant counterattacked and forced the Confederates to retreat toward Corinth, Mississippi. The Union victory kept Federal momentum in the western theater and showed the country that the war would be longer and bloodier than many had expected.

Why Two Names? Northern accounts often used Pittsburg Landing, while Shiloh became the more common battlefield name over time.

Heavy Losses Civil War Sites Advisory Commission data lists 23,746 total casualties: 13,047 Union and 10,699 Confederate.

Tennessee River Strategy The battle mattered because the Tennessee River gave Union armies a route into the Confederate interior.

National Military Park Shiloh National Military Park preserves the battlefield in southwest Tennessee.

Major Civil War Battles in Tennessee

The table below follows the 38 Tennessee principal battlefields identified in National Park Service and Civil War Sites Advisory Commission battle data. Tennessee also saw many smaller skirmishes, raids, occupations, and guerrilla actions. Casualty numbers are listed by side where the source data provides them.

Chart key: US = Union, CS = Confederate, USD = Union demonstration. Casualties are shown as US / CS.

#	Battle	Date	Location	Victor	Casualties US / CS
1	Fort Henry	Feb. 6, 1862	Stewart and Henry, TN; Calloway, KY	US	40 / 79
2	Fort Donelson	Feb. 11-16, 1862	Stewart	US	2,331 / 15,067
3	Shiloh	Apr. 6-7, 1862	Hardin	US	13,047 / 10,699
4	Memphis	Jun. 6, 1862	Shelby	US	1 / 180
5	Chattanooga	Jun. 7, 1862	Hamilton and Chattanooga	US	23 / 65
6	Murfreesboro	Jul. 13, 1862	Rutherford	CS	890 / 150
7	Hatchie's Bridge	Oct. 5, 1862	Hardeman and McNairy	US	500 / 400
8	Hartsville	Dec. 7, 1862	Trousdale	CS	1,855 / 149
9	Jackson	Dec. 19, 1862	Madison	CS	6 / Unknown
10	Stones River	Dec. 31, 1862-Jan. 2, 1863	Rutherford	US	13,249 / 10,266
11	Parker's Cross Roads	Dec. 31, 1862	Henderson	CS	237 / 500
12	Dover	Feb. 3, 1863	Stewart	US	126 / 670
13	Thompson's Station	Mar. 5, 1863	Williamson	CS	1,906 / 300
14	Vaught's Hill	Mar. 20, 1863	Rutherford	US	62 / 373
15	Brentwood	Mar. 25, 1863	Williamson	CS	305 / 6
16	Franklin	Apr. 10, 1863	Williamson	US	100 / 137
17	Hoover's Gap	Jun. 24-26, 1863	Bedford and Rutherford	US	Unknown / Unknown
18	Chattanooga	Aug. 21, 1863	Hamilton and Chattanooga	USD	Unknown / Unknown
19	Blountsville	Sept. 22, 1863	Sullivan	US	27 / 165
20	Blue Springs	Oct. 10, 1863	Greene	US	100 / 216
21	Wauhatchie	Oct. 28-29, 1863	Hamilton and Marion, TN; Dade, GA	US	420 / 408
22	Collierville	Nov. 3, 1863	Shelby	US	60 / 95
23	Campbell's Station	Nov. 16, 1863	Knox	US	400 / 570
24	Chattanooga	Nov. 23-25, 1863	Hamilton and Chattanooga	US	5,815 / 6,670
25	Fort Sanders	Nov. 29, 1863	Knox	US	100 / 780
26	Bean's Station	Dec. 14, 1863	Grainger	CS	700 / 900
27	Mossy Creek	Dec. 29, 1863	Jefferson	US	151 / Unknown
28	Dandridge	Jan. 17, 1864	Jefferson	CS	150 / Unknown
29	Fair Garden	Jan. 27, 1864	Sevier	US	100 / 165
30	Fort Pillow	Apr. 12, 1864	Lauderdale	CS	574 / 80
31	Memphis	Aug. 21, 1864	Shelby	CS	160 / 34
32	Johnsonville	Nov. 4-5, 1864	Benton	CS	Unknown / Unknown
33	Bull's Gap	Nov. 11-13, 1864	Hamblen and Greene	CS	241 / Unknown
34	Columbia	Nov. 24-29, 1864	Maury	CS	Unknown / Unknown
35	Spring Hill	Nov. 29, 1864	Maury	US	Unknown / Unknown
36	Franklin	Nov. 30, 1864	Williamson	US	2,326 / 6,261
37	Murfreesboro	Dec. 5-7, 1864	Rutherford	US	225 / 197
38	Nashville	Dec. 15-16, 1864	Davidson	US	2,140 / 4,462

Prominent Tennesseans and Leaders

Andrew Johnson Greeneville Unionist, military governor of Tennessee, Lincoln's 1864 running mate, and 17th President after Lincoln's assassination.

Isham G. Harris Tennessee's secessionist governor who aligned the state with the Confederacy and followed Confederate armies after Nashville fell.

David G. Farragut Knoxville-born U.S. Navy officer who became the first admiral in American naval history.

Samuel P. Carter Elizabethton-born Union officer who served in both the Army and Navy and rose to major general and rear admiral.

Nathan Bedford Forrest Bedford-born Confederate cavalry commander, slave trader before the war, and later the first national leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

Benjamin F. Cheatham Nashville-born Confederate general who served in the Army of Tennessee at major western battles.

William B. Bate Tennessean who became a Confederate general and later served as governor and U.S. senator.

Sam Watkins Maury Confederate soldier whose memoir, Company Aytch, became one of the best-known enlisted accounts of the war.

Tennessee Civil War Trivia

Second Only to Virginia Tennessee had 38 principal Civil War battlefields, more than any state except Virginia.

Last Out, First Back Tennessee was the last Confederate state to secede and the first former Confederate state readmitted to Congress.

Nashville Fell Early Nashville became the first Confederate state capital captured by Union forces.

East Tennessee Stayed Unionist Many East Tennesseans opposed secession, and the region remained a center of Union support.

Fort Pillow Became Infamous The 1864 battle is remembered for the killing of many Black Union troops after Confederate forces took the fort.

The Klan Began in Pulaski The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist terrorist organization, was founded in Pulaski after the war in 1865.

Scott Protested Secession Scott declared itself the "Free and Independent State of Scott" after Tennessee seceded, a symbolic split not formally reversed until 1986.

Chattanooga Changed the War Union there opened the way toward Atlanta and the heart of the Deep South.

Why Tennessee Mattered

Tennessee sat between the Ohio Valley, the Mississippi River, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Deep South. Control of Tennessee meant control of rivers, railroads, food supplies, ironworks, mountain passes, and invasion routes. That is why armies kept coming back to places such as Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Franklin, and Nashville.

The war in Tennessee was also a civil war inside the Civil War. Unionists and Confederates lived side by side, and guerrilla violence, military occupation, emancipation, and divided loyalties left lasting marks on communities across the state.

My Family's Tennessee Civil War Connection

For Tennessee Trivia creator Byron Chesney, the Civil War is also part of family history. Several Chesney relatives from East Tennessee served in Confederate cavalry units, and their stories connect the larger war in Tennessee to Union County, family cemeteries, illness, loss, and memory.

Pvt. Oliver Chesney

Oliver Chesney was Byron's 3rd great-granduncle. He served in Company D of Ashby's 2nd Tennessee Cavalry for the Confederate States of America.

He is buried in the Sharp-Chesney Cemetery in Union County, Tennessee.

Pvt. Gideon Chesney

Gideon Chesney was Byron's 3rd great-granduncle. He enlisted as a private on July 6, 1861, in General Wheeler's Tennessee Company C, 4th Battalion Cavalry.

While still enlisted, he contracted scarlet fever, was discharged, and was sent home. He died a short time later in 1862.

Pvt. James Knox Polk Chesney

James Knox Polk Chesney was Byron's great-great-grandfather. He served in Company C of the 4th Tennessee Battalion, Branner's Cavalry, for the Confederate States of America.

He enlisted on July 6, 1861, and died in 1905, forty-four years after entering Civil War service.

Family records also remember a difficult year in 1862: Gideon Chesney, his brother Levi, and their mother Ruth died only months apart. Their story is a reminder that Tennessee's Civil War history includes not only battlefields and commanders, but also families who carried the cost of war, disease, and grief back home.

Learn More

These sources are good starting points for Tennessee Civil War history, battle data, and preservation.

National Park Service: Tennessee Civil War Battles National Park Service: Shiloh History NPS: Death of Albert Sidney Johnston National Park Service: Chattanooga III National Park Service: Fort Sanders NPS: Missionary Ridge Tennessee Encyclopedia: Civil War Tennessee Encyclopedia: Civil War Occupation Tennessee Historical Commission: A Path Divided Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Battle Data Tennessee Wars Commission

Article by Byron Chesney
Publisher, Tennessee Trivia