Hood's 1864 Campaign

Following the loss of Atlanta in early September 1864, Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood led his 38,000-man army north toward Middle Tennessee. The Confederates hoped not only to reclaim territory long lost to Union forces but also to scare Northern officials by moving quickly toward Nashville and the Ohio River. The Confederates also hoped to disrupt or recall to Tennessee Union Gen. William T. Sherman, who was then marching toward Savannah and “the sea.”

Hood’s army, screened by Gen. N.B. Forrest’s cavalry, crossed the Tennessee River at Florence, Ala., on Nov. 21. His first objective in Tennessee was Columbia on the Duck River and the direct road to Nashville. Opposing Hood were Gen. John Schofield’s 30,000 troops, assigned by Sherman to join Gen. George Thomas (then in Nashville with about 30,000 men of his own) to neutralize the Confederate threat.

Hood saw a chance to get his army between the two Federal forces, possibly defeating Schofield, then Thomas.

Schofield won the race to Columbia with Hood hot on his heels. But before most of his men got back on the road to Nashville, Hood managed to slip around Schofield’s flank and theoretically stand directly in his path at Spring Hill. There was some fighting at Spring Hill during the afternoon of Nov. 29, but in one of the war’s most famous and still-argued-about blunders, the Confederates let Schofield’s troops march past them that night — right under their noses.

An irate Hood gave chase north toward Franklin. Schofield waited for him there behind sturdy defenses. Unleashing his army in an ill-considered attack Nov. 30, Hood battered his army against those defenses at Franklin for five hours, losing more than 6,000 men. Six Confederate generals, including the brilliant Gen. Patrick Cleburne, were killed or mortally wounded.

Following the battle, Schofield again marched north, joining Thomas in the fortress Nashville had become after nearly three years of Union occupation. Hood, his army now badly wounded, limped after him and deployed south of the city.
As the Union army gathered strength in the Tennessee capital, the Federal high command pestered Thomas to attack and get rid of Hood, who they feared might sidestep Nashville and continue to the Ohio River. Thomas finally unleashed his army and on Dec. 14–15 defeated Hood and forced his broken away from Nashville. What remained of the once-grand Confederate army straggled south and nearly disintegrated.

About half the Southerners who fought around Nashville later joined their former commander Joseph Johnston opposing Sherman in North Carolina in March 1865.

Visiting Hood’s Tennessee Campaign

Columbia and Area

Both Union and Confederate forces briefly occupied Columbia during the campaign. A good rundown of Columbia and area’s historic sites: historicmaury.org/index_files/historicsites.html.

Among points of interest with little or no Civil War interpretation:

• St. John’s Church, west of Columbia – Confederate Gen. Patrick Cleburne, passing this church on the way to Columbia, said it “is almost worth dying for to be buried in such a beautiful spot.” Days later, after the Battle of Franklin, his body and others were temporarily buried here.
• Zion Church, 2322 Zion Road – Sam Watkins, author of the famous soldier account Co. AYTCH is buried here.

The Anthenaeum Rectory
808 Athenaeum St, Columbia TN 38401
931-381-4822
 Road map 
This is the last surviving building from a school for girls founded in 1852. Union Gen. John Schofield used the building as his headquarters during his brief occupation of the town in November 1864. Confederate Gen. N.B. Forrest was reported to be a frequent visitor. Tours of the building do not focus on its Civil War history.
   Open February–December Tuesday–Saturday 10 am–4 pm; Sunday 1–4 pm. $5/adults.

Spring Hill

Hood had his great chance to defeat Schofield here at Spring Hill Nov. 29, 1864. The Confederates had managed to put themselves in position to attack the Union troops marching north, strung out and vulnerable on the Columbia-Franklin Pike. But the Southerners failed to deliver a knock-out blow as darkness fell on the 29th and, by the morning of the 30th, Schofield’s men had escaped, marching unmolested that night past Confederate campfires. It’s one of the most controversial events of the war.

Among the sites in Spring Hill is Ferguson Hall, 5350 Main St, site of the murder of Confederate Gen. Earl Van Dorn, who was shot by a jealous husband in 1863.

Spring Hill Battlefield Tour
A nine-stop driving tour brochure of the Spring Hill battlefield is available at local attractions and visitor centers or call 888-852-1860 for a copy. Each stop features interpretive signage. Highlights are Oaklawn (Hood’s headquarters, not open to public), and a key part of the battlefield, preserved in a 110-acre park.

Rippaville Plantation
5700 Main St, Spring Hill TN 37174
931-486-9037
Road map
Fine 1855 mansion was the site of a meeting of the Confederate high command the morning of Nov. 30. An angry Hood berated his generals for letting Schofield escape the night before. Much of Civil War interest here during the excellent house tours and on the grounds. Open Monday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm and Sunday 1-5 pm (tours on the half-hour). Adults $8.

Franklin

Early Nov. 30, Hood, smoldering with anger at Schofield’s escape at Spring Hill, ordered his soldiers north on the Columbia Pike (modern Hwy 31) toward Franklin. Schofield, hoping to escape to Nashville, didn’t expect an attack that day but dug in anyway at the Harpeth River. The controversial Confederate attacks at Franklin Nov. 30, 1864, were some of the bloodiest of the war. Many historians believe that Hood’s army, suffering more than 6,000 casualties in five hours, suffered a fatal blow at Franklin.

Visiting Franklin

Williamson County Visitor Center
209 E Main St, Franklin TN 37064
800-356-3445

Carter House
1140 Columbia Ave, Franklin TN 37064
615-791-1861
 Road map 
This brick house, located on the Columbia Pike and about the center of the Union line, became the focal point of Confederate attacks. The bullet-scarred house and outbuildings are a natural place to start a tour of the Franklin battlefield. Highlights are a film, house and grounds guided tour, and a museum dedicated to the battle. Focus here is almost entirely Civil War.
    Open Monday–Saturday 9 am–5 pm; Sunday 1–5 pm. Closed Sundays in January and closes one hour earlier during Daylight Savings Time. $8 adults.

Carnton Plantation
1345 Carnton Lane, Franklin TN 37064
615-794-0903
Road map
Bloodstains remain on the floors of this fine 1826 mansion, home of the McGavocks during the war. Confederate troops passed through the grounds en route to their disastrous encounter with the Federals entrenched nearby, and the home served as a field hospital for hundreds following the fighting. The bodies of four Confederate generals were laid out on the porch the day after the battle. After the war the family donated two acres to bury nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers.
Open Monday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm; Sunday 1-5 pm. Tours on the half-hour. $10/adults ($1-off coupon on the website).

Winstead Hill Park
Columbia Pike and Mack Hatcher Memorial Parkway, Franklin TN 37064
Road map
This was the Confederate “jumping off” place for the attacks at Franklin. Nice park includes interpretive exhibits and memorials. A bas-relief map of the battlefield is a good orientation from here. Park open daylight hours.

Fort Granger
Entrance off Fort Granger Road from Eddy Lane, Franklin TN
 Road map 
Strong Federal position on the north bank of the Harpeth River delivered artillery fire into the Confederate attack during the battle. Well-preserved fort gives nice perspective opposite the Winstead Hill site. Open daylight hours.

More Franklin sites

Battlefield interpretive areas are planned on newly preserved land saved by the very active Save the Franklin Battlefield Inc. The Lotz House, down the street from the Carter House, 1111 Columbia Ave, also figured prominently in the battle, but is not open to the public.

Nashville and Area

Union troops occupied the Tennessee capital in February 1862 shortly after the fall of Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River. It was the first Southern capital to fall. The city became one of the most fortified in the country protecting a vast Union supply depot serving the entire Western Theater.

In early December 1864, following the Battle of Franklin, Schofield’s troops joined Thomas and other Union reinforcements in Nashville, giving the Federals a nearly 3:1 advantage in manpower. Hood’s Confederate army deployed south of the city, hoping to draw the Federals out of their defenses.

Finally stirred to action after weeks of increasingly fervent dispatches from Washington, Thomas staged a strong attack against Hood’s left Dec. 15–16, 1864. Overwhelming the outnumbered Confederates, for all practical purposes, the battle ended the war in the West.

Touring Nashville’s Civil War sites

Most of the Battle of Nashville has been lost to development, but some reminders in the form of historic homes, monuments and scattered earthworks remain south of Nashville. Fortunately, good resources are available for guiding visitors around the city and the area:

A Battle of Nashville tour map and guide is available from the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society (BONPS). Download or order a free copy from www.bonps.org/tour/tour.htm.
For those interested in an excellent, comprehensive tour with good maps and illustrations of Nashville’s Civil War sites, order a copy of the 76-page Guide to Civil War Nashville by Mark Zimmerman ($19.95) from BONPS.

Tennessee State Museum
505 Deaderick St, Nashville TN 37243
(lower level of the James K. Polk Cultural Center)
800-407-4324
 Road map 
Excellent permanent Civil War exhibition tells the story of Tennessee and the war using a variety of uniforms, flags and other artifacts. Highlights include N.B. Forrest’s revolver, Patrick Cleburne’s cap and a hand-drawn map of the Shiloh battlefield made for Gen. PGT Beauregard. Exhibits also examine the role of Andrew Johnson during the war as military governor and as President.
    Open Tuesday-Saturday 10 am–5 pm; Sunday 1–5 pm. Free.

Tennessee State Capitol
Charlotte Avenue and Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243
615-741-2692, 615-741-0830
 Road map 
Finished in 1859, the Greek Revival-style building became a Federal Fort Andrew Johnson 1862-1865, it’s walkways studded with cannon (never fired in anger). Civil War interpretation on the spot is slim, but it’s fun to go up and have a look around. Guided tours of the building offered at 10 and 11 am, 1,2 and 3 pm Monday–Friday. Statue of “boy hero” Sam Davis on the grounds.

Fort Negley
Chestnut Street and Fort Negley Blvd, Nashville TN 37203 (just southeast of intersection of I-40 and I-65)
615-862-8470
 Road map 
Wonderful job bringing back a 1940 reconstruction of one of the Union forts defending Nashville. An interpreted trail leads from the parking lot through the fort. Signs describe the Battle of Nashville from the fort’s perspective. Great Nashville skyline views from this city park. Open daylight hours. Free. A visitor center, also free, with exhibits and an introduction to the fort is open Tuesday–Saturday 9 am–4:30 pm.

Belmont Mansion
1900 Belmont Blvd, Nashville TN 37212
615-460-5459
 Road map 
This 1853 mansion served as a Union headquarters before the battle. Orders were given from here for the first day’s attack. Brick water tower was a Federal signal station. The mistress of the house during the war negotiated with both sides to have her cotton shipped secretly to England. Open Monday–Saturday 10 am–4 pm; Sunday 1–4 pm. Last tour begins 3:15 pm. $10/adults.

Belle Meade Plantation
5025 Harding Road, Nashville TN 37205
800-270-3991
 Road map 
The plantation was headquarters to Confederate Gen. James Chalmers during the initial part of the battle, and skirmishing erupted on the grounds early Dec. 15. Bullet scars are still visible on this mansion’s massive front columns. Interesting house tours by costumed guides focus on lifestyle and horse racing rather than the Civil War.
Open Monday–Saturday 9 am–5 pm, Sunday 11 am–5 pm. Last tour begins 4 pm. $14/adults.

Battle of Nashville Monument
Granny White Pike and Battlefield Drive, Nashville TN
 Road map 
Small piece of the battlefield preserved here — the center of the Confederate line on Dec. 15 — with a 1926 Peace Monument. Open daylight hours.

Shy’s Hill
 Road map 
Critical strong point on the Confederate left flank was taken by the Federals Dec. 16, 1864, resulting in a decisive Federal victory in the Battle of Nashville. State historical marker at the base of the hill. A steep path leads to the top where Southern defenders tried to hold off the Union attack. Some Confederate earthworks remain at the top.

Travellers’ Rest Plantation and Museum
636 Farrell Parkway, Nashville TN 37220
866-832-8197
 Road map 
Part of this house dates to 1799 with additions made by the Overton family by the time of the Civil War. Hood made Travellers’ Rest his headquarters during the weeks leading up to the battle. Some fighting occurred on the plantation grounds Dec. 16. Tours cover Civil War history and the house’s role in the battle.
    Open Monday-Saturday 10 am-4 pm, Sunday 1-4 pm. Closed second week of January. $10/adults.

Nashville Cemeteries

Nashville City Cemetery
Fourth Avenue South and Oak Street, Nashville TN 37203
(very short distance from Fort Negley – easy to visit both)
 Road map 
The city’s first cemetery, established in 1822, holds the remains of several notable Confederate generals including Richard Ewell, Bushrod Johnson and Felix Zollicoffer. Interprettive markers on some graves. Open daylight hours.

Mount Olivet Cemetery
1101 Lebanon Road, Nashville TN 37201
615-255-4193
 Road map 
The Confederate Circle area of this cemetery (established 1856) honors the nearly 1,500 Southern soldiers buried here. The graves of Confederate Gens. Benjamin Cheatham and William Bate are here.

Nashville National Cemetery
1420 Gallatin Pike South, Madison TN 37115
615-860-0086
 Road map 
The remains of more than 12,000 Civil War-era Union soldiers are buried here. Many of the bodies were removed from Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky battlefields. Most came from burial grounds around hospitals in the area. Open daylight hours.

NOTE: Information about cavalry skirmishes connected with both the beginning and end of the Tennessee portion of Hood’s Campaign is found in material available from the Giles County Tourism Foundation in Pulaski. Call 931-363-3789.

Website links to these places: Tennessee Links