Civil War in Tennessee

Civil War in Tennessee. Hood Campaign of 1864. Middle Tennessee experienced small-scale battles and engagements throughout the war, Many occurred along present-day I-65., At Elkton (Exit 6), Federal forces controlled the Elk River Bridge and protected the Prospect Railroad Bridge with a fort Pulaski (Exit 14) and Columbia (Exit 46) were major Union command centers. Fighting intensified in September 1864, when Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry passed through here to attack a Union post at Athens, Alabama. He then returned, engaged Federał forces outside Pulaski, and destroyed a camp of escaped slaves near the town., Less than two months later, Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood invaded Middle Tennessee, intending to capture Nashville and then advance through Kentucky and across the Ohio River. Union Gen. John M. Schofield maneuvered from Pulaski to Columbia, briefly engaged Hood, and then escaped at Spring Hill (Exit 53) to fortified positions at Franklin (Exit 65). There, on November 30, 1864, Hood suffered more than 6,000 casualties in a futile frontal assault that failed to break the Union line. The Federals next defeated Hood at Nashville (Exit 80) in mid-December, virtually eliminating his army as a fighting force., Follow the routes of the armies along the Tennessee Civil War Trails. Colorful markers at each stop tell the story of the war's interesting people places, and events. A free map guide to the Tennessee Trails network is available in the Welcome Center. Please drive carefully as you enjoy the beauty and history of the Tennessee Civil War Trails. , [Photo captions] , Top middle: "The Battlefield of Franklin, Tennessee" by L.T. Shull, 1884 , Bottom right portraits: Gen. John M. Schofield, Gen. John Bell Hood