Nelson House Hotel

Nelson House Hotel. A Tragic Death. On June 26, 1863, Confederate Lt. Andrew Wills Gould, son of a prosperous Nashville merchant and an artillerist in Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry, died here at the Nelson House Hotel. He had been badly injured in a clash with Forrest., Forrest and his men were stationed at Columbia to guard the left flank of Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's army at Shelbyville. In April, Forrest received orders to ride from Columbia into northern Alabama in pursuit of Union Col. Abel Streight's cavalry brigade, which had been raiding Confederate supply lines. During the pursuit, a two-gun section of Forrest's artillery was ambushed and captured in Alabama. Forrest held Gould responsible for the loss and planned to transfer him out of his command. On June 23, Gould confronted Forrest in downtown Columbia at the old Masonic Temple (since demolished), located on the northeast corner of West Seventh and North Garden Street. The two men fought; Gould shot Forrest, who stabbed Gould. Although Forrest quickly recovered, Gould suffered a massive infection and died here in the hotel three days later., During the course of the war, Columbia changed hands six times. Many officers of both sides spent time dining and residing at the Nelson House Hotel., (sidebar) , Pleasant Nelson, a local businessman, politician and close associate of President James K. Polk, built the Nelson House Hotel in 1826. For many years, it was the area's premier hotel. Prominent dignitaries, including President Andrew Jackson and future president Andrew Johnson, stayed here during the antebellum period., Captions: , Top left: Gen. Nathan B. Forrest Courtesy Library of Congress; Lt. Andrew W. Gould Courtesy Maury County Archives , Bottom left: Masonic Hall - Courtesy Maury County Archives , Bottom right: Andrew Jackson - Courtesy Library of Congress; Andrew Johnson - Courtesy Library of Congress