The Square During Occupation

The Square During Occupation. . Murfreesboro's first experience with Federal occupation came in March 1862, shortly after the fall of Fort Donelson., Headed by Brig. Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel, Union cavalry entered the town, hoisted the United States flag to the top of the courthouse steeple, and pitched their tents wherever there was a convenient water supply. Once the army settled in, the commander appointed a provost marshal, who administered loyalty oaths and issued military passes to the local people., Shortly after establishing the post, Gen. Mitchel ordered squads of soldiers to search the houses and other buildings for guns and ammunition. Any weapons found were confiscated, regardless of condition. Citizens who were accused of disloyalty were jailed or sent to the penitentiary in Nashville. Upon their release they were required to obtain a bond with security in order to guarantee future good conduct.Federal scouting and foraging parties left the town each day to search for Confederate troops and to obtain additional supplies that would augment the rations shipped in from Nashville., By the war's end, considerable physical changes had taken place in the county. Many fine houses had been looted and abused. A number of buildings, including the First Presbyterian Church, the slave market and the jail, had been torn down for military purposes. Fields were overgrown and the fences were used for firewood. Much of the region's wealth had been destroyed and it would take generations for the area to recover its former prosperity., (captions) , Gen. O.M. Mitchel, Federal troops entering the city