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The Civil War in Tennessee
Battle of Wauhatchie
Cracker Line
Fort Henry and Fort Donelson
Battle of Nashville
Battles for Chattanooga
Benjamin Franklin Cheatham
Fall of Nashville, February, 1862
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Battle of Fort Sanders
Andrew Johnson
Siege of Knoxville
Battle of Missionary Ridge
Nashville Convention of 1850
Stone's River
Stone's River
Tullahoma Campaign
| October 27, 1859 | The Louisville and Nashville Railroad makes its first trip between the two cities. | Kentucky Tennessee |
| December 8, 1860 | Governor Isham Harris calls for a special session of the Tennessee legislature to consider secession | Tennessee |
| January 7, 1861 | Special Tennessee legislative session to consider holding a secession convention begins in Nashville | Tennessee |
| January 19, 1861 | Tennessee votes to hold a secessionist election. | Tennessee |
| February 9, 1861 | In a blow to the newly formed Confederacy, Tennessee voters reject the call for a secessionist convention, 68,262 to 59,499. | Tennessee |
| April 15, 1861 | Rejecting Lincoln's call for troops, Tennessee Governor Isham Harris orders a second session of the state legislature to consider the question of a secessionist convention. | Tennessee |
| May 6, 1861 | Tennessee votes to put the question of secession before the people in a popular referendum | Tennessee |
| Confederate Order of Secession | ||
| May 30, 1861 | At a convention in Knoxville, a group of Unionists denounce Tennessee's secessionist actions. | Tennessee |
| June 8, 1861 | By a vote of 108,339 to 47,233, Tennessee decides to secede from the United States | Tennessee |
| Tennessee Ordinance of Secession | ||
| Confederate Order of Secession | ||
| July 22, 1861 | In a proclamation, Jefferson Davis accepts Tennessee as a member of the Confederacy | Tennessee |
| Jefferson Davis | ||
| August 1, 1861 | Tennessee votes to adopt the Constitution of the Confederate States of America | Tennessee |
| November 8, 1861 November 10, 1861 |
With the approach of a significant Union force in Kentucky, Unionists in East Tennessee revolted, burning railroad bridges to delay a Rebel advance. | Tennessee |
| November 15, 1861 | Second pro-Union rebellion in East Tennessee, centered in the Chattanooga area | Tennessee |
| February 4, 1862 | Confederate forces in Fort Heiman withdraw to Fort Henry, across the Tennessee River | Tennessee |
| Fort Henry and Fort Donelson | ||
| February 6, 1862 | Battle of Fort Henry | Kentucky Tennessee |
| Fort Henry and Fort Donelson | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| February 13, 1862 February 16, 1862 |
Battle of Ft. Donelson
General Ulysses S. Grant demands the unconditional surrender of the garrison from an old friend, Simon Bolivar Buckner |
Tennessee |
| Fort Henry and Fort Donelson | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Bloodiest Civil War battles | ||
| John Floyd | ||
| John A. McClernand | ||
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| Gideon Pillow | ||
| Lew Wallace | ||
| Army of the Tennessee | ||
| Fort Henry and Fort Donelson | ||
| Simon Bolivar Buckner | ||
| February 23, 1862 | Ulysses S. Grant orders William Nelson to advance on Nashville | Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| William 'Bull' Nelson | ||
| Fall of Nashville, February, 1862 | ||
| February 25, 1862 | "Bull" Nelson enters Nashville, Tennessee, first Confederate state capital to fall into Union hands. Don Carlos Buell accepts the city's surrender. Nathan Bedford Forrest provides a rear guard for Hardee's Army of Central Kentucky as it withdraws to Alabama. | Tennessee |
| Don Carlos Buell | ||
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| William Hardee | ||
| Fall of Nashville, February, 1862 | ||
| William 'Bull' Nelson | ||
| John Floyd | ||
| Civil War Firsts | ||
| March 3, 1862 | Abraham Lincoln appoints Andrew Johnson to be military governor of Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Abraham Lincoln | ||
| Andrew Johnson | ||
| March 17, 1862 | Major General Lew Wallace and his division stop at Crump's Landing to destroy the tracks of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. | Tennessee |
| Battle of Shiloh | ||
| Lew Wallace | ||
| Lew Wallace at Shiloh | ||
| April 6, 1862 April 7, 1862 |
Battle of Pittsburg Landing [Union]
Battle of Shiloh [Confederate] Ulysses S. Grant [US] defeats Albert Sidney Johnston [CS] in southwest Tennessee. P. G. T. Beauregard assumed command following Johnston's death Confederate Losses 1,723 dead 8,012 wounded 959 missing Union Losses 1,754 dead 8,408 wounded 2,885 missing |
Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Sherman's Memoirs on Shiloh | ||
| P. G. T. Beauregard | ||
| Battle of Shiloh | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| William Tecumseh Sherman | ||
| Bloodiest Civil War battles | ||
| Don Carlos Buell | ||
| Albert Sidney Johnston | ||
| John Breckinridge | ||
| William Hardee | ||
| William 'Bull' Nelson | ||
| Lew Wallace | ||
| Lew Wallace at Shiloh | ||
| Army of the Tennessee | ||
| James McPherson | ||
| Army of Mississippi | ||
| April 6, 1862 | On the first day of the battle of Shiloh/Pittsburg Landing, General Albert Sidney Johnston, commander of the Department of the West is killed while leading an advance against a Union position in a peach orchard. | Tennessee |
| Generals Who Died In the Civil War | ||
| Albert Sidney Johnston | ||
| April 8, 1862 | Following a disasterous second day at Pittsburg Landing, Confederates withdraw to Corinth, Mississippi | Tennessee |
| Battle of Shiloh | ||
| Army of Mississippi | ||
| May 10, 1862 | Federal mortar boats, shelling Fort Pillow, are attacked by a makeshift Confederate fleet. The U. S. responds in force, with ironclads. Although the 8 Confederate boats manage to sink 2 ironclads (the Cincinnati and Mound City) the battle of Plum Run Bend or Plum Point ended when the Rebels withdrew to Fort Pillow | Tennessee |
| June 4, 1862 | Confederates evacuate Fort Pillow, now a lone garrison on the Mississippi in northern Tennessee | Tennessee |
| June 6, 1862 | Following a naval battle where Union rams and gunboats easily defeated a makeshift Confederate navy, Federal forces occupy Memphis | Tennessee |
| Queen of the West | ||
| June 18, 1862 | Union forces capture the Cumberland Gap | Virginia Kentucky Tennessee |
| June 21, 1862 | Ulysses S. Grant ordered to Memphis to become district commander | Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| July 13, 1862 | Battle of Murphreesboro | Tennessee |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| July 21, 1862 | In a tersely worded telegram, Braxton Bragg informs Jefferson Davis that he will move his army in force from Tupelo, Mississippi to Chattanooga, Tennessee | Mississippi Tennessee |
| Confederate Invasion of Kentucky | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| Jefferson Davis | ||
| July 23, 1862 | Moving his men by railroad from Tupelo, Mississippi, Braxton Bragg reappears in Chattanooga, Tennessee after a journey of more than 770 miles. It was the largest troop movement by rail during the war for the Confederates. | Tennessee |
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| Army of Mississippi | ||
| August 16, 1862 | Carter Stevenson [CS] appears at the entrance to the Cumberland Gap in eastern Tennessee. | Kentucky Tennessee |
| E. Kirby Smith | ||
| Confederate Invasion of Kentucky | ||
| August 21, 1862 | Braxton Bragg crosses the Tennessee River at Chattanooga. | Tennessee |
| Confederate Invasion of Kentucky | ||
| Army of Mississippi | ||
| August 28, 1862 | Braxton Bragg [CS] leaves from north of Chattanooga, heading to join Kirby Smith in Kentucky | Tennessee |
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| Army of Tennessee | ||
| Confederate Invasion of Kentucky | ||
| Army of Mississippi | ||
| September 1, 1862 | Battle of Britton's Lane | Tennessee |
| October 7, 1862 | Battle of Lavernge | Tennessee |
| October 19, 1862 October 23, 1862 |
Bragg moves south through the Cumberland Gap, essentially escaping the Army of the Ohio | Tennessee Kentucky |
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| Confederate Invasion of Kentucky | ||
| November 4, 1862 | Moving south, east of the Mississippi, Ulysses S. Grant enters La Grange and Grand Junction. | Tennessee |
| First Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| December 7, 1862 | John Hunt Morgan captures a federal garrison in Hartsville, killing and wounding 1000 before 1800 men surrendered | Tennessee |
| John Hunt Morgan | ||
| December 20, 1862 | U. S. 15th Corps under William Tecumseh Sherman boards transports at Memphis to sail down the Mississippi to Chickasaw Bayou. Ulysses S. Grant called off a supporting campaign over land because of continued Rebel raids | Tennessee |
| First Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| William Tecumseh Sherman | ||
| December 28, 1862 | Battle of Elk Fork | Tennessee |
| December 31, 1862 | Battle of Parker's Cross Roads
Near Lexington General Nathan Bedford Forrest [CS] tries to break through a federal line after successful raids on Grant's supply lines and communications. As he begins to drive the Union troops back he is attacked from behind, loosing 300 men. |
Tennessee |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| December 31, 1862 | Battle of Stone's River [US]
Battle of Murfreesboro [CS] Braxton Bragg forces William Rosecrans to retreat, but Rosecrans returns to defeat Bragg on January 2, 1863. Union 13,249 Confederate 10,266 |
Tennessee |
| Bloodiest Civil War battles | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| William S. Rosecrans | ||
| George Thomas | ||
| John Breckinridge | ||
| Army of the Cumberland | ||
| Philip Sheridan | ||
| Stone's River | ||
| March 4, 1863 March 5, 1863 |
Battle of Spring Hill
Battle of Unionville Confederate Cavalry under Earl Van Dorn and Nathan Bedford Forrest drive Union Cavalry off on the 4th, then surround and engage the remaining infantry. After heavy fighting on the 5th, the Union garrison surrenders. |
Tennessee |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| Earl Van Dorn | ||
| April 11, 1863 | Col. Abel Streight leaves Nashville, Tennessee on a raid of Rome, GA | Georgia Tennessee |
| Raid on Rome, Georgia | ||
| April 27, 1863 | Major General Simon Bolivar Buckner assumes command of the Department of East Tennessee. | Tennessee |
| Simon Bolivar Buckner | ||
| May 25, 1863 | Clement Vallandigham is banished to the Confederacy for his "pro-Confederate remarks." The exchange took place at Murfreesboro, Tennessee | Ohio Tennessee |
| Clement Vallandigham | ||
| June 23, 1863 | Army of the Cumberland begins the Tullahoma Campaign against the Army of Tennessee | Tennessee Georgia |
| Tullahoma Campaign | ||
| Army of the Cumberland | ||
| Leonidas Polk | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| William S. Rosecrans | ||
| July 7, 1863 | Braxton Bragg completes his withdrawal from Tullahoma to Chattanooga | Tennessee |
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| Tullahoma Campaign | ||
| September 2, 1863 | Ambrose Burnside occupies Knoxville | Tennessee |
| Ambrose Burnside | ||
| September 9, 1863 | Brigadier General John W. Frazier [CS] surrenders his men guarding the Cumberland Gap | Kentucky Tennessee |
| September 9, 1863 | Federal troops enter Chattanooga, Tennessee following its evacuation by the Army of Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Chickamauga Campaign | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| Army of Tennessee | ||
| Army of the Cumberland | ||
| September 30, 1863 October 17, 1863 |
Gen. Joseph Wheeler [CS] raids Federal positions north and east of Chattanooga. | Tennessee |
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| October 5, 1863 | Joe Wheeler cuts the railroad between Nashville and Chattanooga at Stones River. The loss is a major blow to the besieged Army of the Cumberland. | Tennessee |
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| Army of the Cumberland | ||
| October 21, 1863 | Ulysses S. Grant leaves Bridgeport, AL to assume command of the troops in Chattanooga. The only road in a muddy wash with a horrible stench from the dead mules lying on either side. This was the road Rosecrans was using to supply his troops. | Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| October 23, 1863 | Ulysess S. Grant arrives in Chattanooga, Tennessee and immediately begins working on securing a better supply line to the city. | Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| October 24, 1863 | General Grant, in Chattanooga, approves the plan of "Baldy" Smith to open a "Cracker Line" between Chattanooga and the railhead at Stevenson, Alabama | Alabama Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| William Farrar Smith | ||
| Cracker Line | ||
| October 28, 1863 October 29, 1863 |
Battle of Wauhatchie
In a rare nighttime assault, James Longstreet [CS] battles John Geary [US] just west of Lookout Mountain |
Tennessee |
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| James Longstreet | ||
| Battle of Wauhatchie | ||
| October 28, 1863 | General O. O. Howard reaches Brown's Ferry, Tennessee from Stevenson, AL, opening the famous Cracker Line | Tennessee |
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| October 29, 1863 | Jefferson Davis grants Nathan Bedford Forrest's request for an independent command in north Mississippi and west Tennessee. This frees him from Braxton Bragg. | Mississippi Tennessee |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| November 4, 1863 | Braxton Bragg orders James Longstreet to Knoxville to operate against Ambrose Burnside. Longstreet is the last of the generals that complained to Jefferson Davis about Bragg. | Tennessee |
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| James Longstreet | ||
| Siege of Knoxville | ||
| November 15, 1863 | Moving east from the Mississippi, General William Tecumseh Sherman arrives in Stevenson, Alabama with four divisions. Sherman then confers with Grant in Chattanooga. | Alabama Tennessee |
| William Tecumseh Sherman | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| November 16, 1863 | Battle of Campbell's Station, Knoxville
Ambrose Burnside [US] withdraws following an attack by James Longstreet [CS]. |
Tennessee |
| Ambrose Burnside | ||
| James Longstreet | ||
| Siege of Knoxville | ||
| November 17, 1863 December 4, 1863 |
Siege of Knoxville | Tennessee |
| James Longstreet | ||
| Ambrose Burnside | ||
| Siege of Knoxville | ||
| November 22, 1863 | Completely unaware of the federal build-up in Chattanooga, Braxton Bragg detaches Buckner's Corps and orders him to join Longstreet in Knoxville. | Tennessee |
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| Simon Bolivar Buckner | ||
| November 23, 1863 | Action at Orchard Knob, Chattanooga | Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| George Thomas | ||
| Philip Sheridan | ||
| November 24, 1863 | Battle of Lookout Mountain
Battle Above the Clouds Joseph Hooker [US] engages forces under Carter Stevenson [CS] on the slopes of Lookout Mountain |
Tennessee Georgia |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| Joseph Hooker | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| November 25, 1863 | Battle of Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga
Three Union armies attacked the Army of Tennessee atop Missionary Ridge, east of downtown Chattanooga. Patrick Cleburne stopped William Tecumseh Sherman from the north, although outnumbered 10 to 1. Joe Hooker was seriously delayed by burnt bridges and failed to hit the southern end of Bragg's line near Rossville, Georgia. Thomas' Army of the Cumberland struck the center, breaking Bragg's line and forcing a retreat. Sheridan, ordered to pursue, was stopped dead in his tracks by William Hardee's rear guard action. |
Tennessee Georgia |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| John Breckinridge | ||
| George Thomas | ||
| Philip Sheridan | ||
| Army of the Cumberland | ||
| William Tecumseh Sherman | ||
| Patrick Cleburne | ||
| Joseph Hooker | ||
| William Hardee | ||
| Army of Tennessee | ||
| November 28, 1863 | Ulysses S. Grant orders William Tecumseh Sherman to advance on Knoxville and relieve Ambrose Burnside | Tennessee |
| Ambrose Burnside | ||
| Siege of Knoxville | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| William Tecumseh Sherman | ||
| November 29, 1863 | Battle of Fort Sanders (earlier known as Ft. Loudon or Loudoun) | Tennessee |
| Battle of Fort Sanders | ||
| Lafayette McLaws | ||
| Ambrose Burnside | ||
| Siege of Knoxville | ||
| November 30, 1863 | President Davis accepts Bragg's resignation and appoints William Hardee in temporary command of the Army of Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Jefferson Davis | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| William Hardee | ||
| Army of Tennessee | ||
| December 3, 1863 | James Longstreet begins a two-day withdrawal from Knoxville to Greeneville following the Siege of Knoxville. | Tennessee |
| James Longstreet | ||
| Siege of Knoxville | ||
| December 6, 1863 | William Tecumseh Sherman enters Knoxville, formally ending the siege | Tennessee |
| Siege of Knoxville | ||
| William Tecumseh Sherman | ||
| December 9, 1863 December 14, 1863 |
Battle of Bean's Station
Federal forces probe Longstreet's lines near his winter camp. After several days of heavy skirmishing, Longstreet struck the Union line on Dec. 14, driving Brigadier General James Shackleford back about 1.5 miles before he made a stand. Union forces withdrew that evening. |
Tennessee |
| Siege of Knoxville | ||
| James Longstreet | ||
| January 26, 1864 | Local elections are permitted in Tennessee where the federal government feels it is in control of the state | Tennessee |
| March 12, 1864 | Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant assumes command of the armies of the United States. | Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| March 16, 1864 | Nathan Bedford Forrest begins a raid into West Tennessee and Kentucky | Kentucky Tennessee |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| March 17, 1864 | William Tecumseh Sherman, meeting with Grant in Nashville, is promoted to Military Division of the Mississippi commanding the Department of the Ohio, Department of the Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland and the Department of the Arkansas. Major General James McPherson is promoted to Sherman's old position, commander of the Army of the Tennessee | Tennessee |
| William Tecumseh Sherman | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| James McPherson | ||
| Army of the Tennessee | ||
| March 24, 1864 | Nathan Bedford Forrest seizes Union City | Tennessee |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| April 12, 1864 | Battle of Fort Pillow
Nathan Bedford Forrest [CS] defeats [US]. Following the defeat, Forrest's men massacre most of the occupants of the fort. They were black. |
Tennessee |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| June 2, 1864 | Ordered to pursue and destroy General Nathan Bedford Forrest, General John Sturgis leaves Memphis with a force of 8,100 men | Tennessee |
| Brice's Crossroads | ||
| August 21, 1864 | Forrest liberates Memphis
Almost 2,000 Confederates occupied Memphis for a few hours during the day, nearly capturing Major Generals Stephen Hurlbut and C. C. Washburn. The raid forced troops operating in the area to withdraw to Memphis, giving Forrest free reign to raid William Tecumseh Sherman's supply lines |
Tennessee |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| September 4, 1864 | John Hunt Morgan is shot dead by federal troops fleeing the home of a woman who had betrayed him (Greenville, Tennessee) | Tennessee |
| John Hunt Morgan | ||
| September 5, 1864 | Tennessee Unionists meet in Nashville to restart the state government and plan participation in national elections that fall. | Tennessee |
| November 4, 1864 November 5, 1864 |
Battle of Johnsonville
Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry and two captured Union boats move up the Tennessee River to Johnsonville and attacked the Union supply depot there causing major damage |
Tennessee |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| November 30, 1864 | Battle of Franklin | Tennessee |
| John Bell Hood | ||
| Nashville Campaign | ||
| December 15, 1864 December 16, 1864 |
Battle of Nashville | Tennessee |
| John Bell Hood | ||
| George Thomas | ||
| Nashville Campaign | ||
| February 22, 1865 | Voters approve a new constitution, including the abolition of slavery, in Tennessee | Tennessee |
| abolition | ||
| March 4, 1865 | "Parson" Brownlow is elected the first post-war governor of Tennessee | Tennessee |
| December 24, 1865 | The Ku Klux Klan is organized at the law offices of Thomas M. Jones in Pulaski, Tennessee. The name derives from the Greek word kykos (circle) and was suggested by John B. Kennedy, who anglicized it to Ku Klux. James R. Crowe added the word Klan because of the predominant Scottish-Irish population of the area | Tennessee |
| April 2, 1866 | The United States declares that a state of peace exists with Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia | Alabama Georgia Mississippi Tennessee South Carolina Virginia Florida North Carolina Arkansas Louisiana |
| July 19, 1866 | Tennessee ratifies the 14th Amendment. This quick ratification meant Tennessee would not suffer under 2nd Reconstruction | Tennessee |
| 14th Amendment |
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