Civil War In Putnam County

Civil War In Putnam County. A Divided Land. , Putnam County was a divided land during the Civil War as local residents enlisted in either Federal or Confederate units. It also was a crossroads, as both armies passed through the county numerous times over such important historic roads as the Walton Road (east-west route) and the Old Kentucky Road (north-south route). Although no major engagement by army regulars took place in Putnam County, forage raids, conscript sweeps, bushwhacking and small skirmishes were typical occurrences., During a reconnaissance expedition, Union Col. Henry K. McConnell's troops killed 23 Confederate partisans and captured another 40 near Cookeville. The Battle of Dug Hill on February 24, 1863, was the most famous engagement in Putnam County. Confederate Col. John M. Hughs's rangers ambushed a detachment of Col. William B. Stokes's 5th Tennessee Cavalry along the Calfkiller River and killed more than 40 men., Most of the harm the citizens suffered was due to the continuous guerrilla activity in Putnam and the surrounding counties, and many residents from both sides endured privations from the destruction of lives and property. The upheaval caused by the conflict created wounds and animosities that took decades to heal., The Johnson and Calfkiller caves near Monterey provided saltpeter for gunpowder, and the 4th Confederate Cavalry mustered in the Calfkiller Valley. White County's Confederate Gen. George G. Dibrell, 8th Tennessee Cavalry, once used Dry Valley as his headquarters. Union Gen. John T. Wilder of the famed "Lightning Brigade” made Monterey his home after the war., "Prosperity seems to pervade Putnam County, but there we found nine tenths of the people loyal and for Johnson and Lincoln. In my father's district of Putnam there were but four votes for separation and two hundred and four against Secession." , Union Gen. Alvan C. Gillem to Gov. Andrew Johnson, August 8, 1864, (captions) , Gen. George Gibbs Dibrell Courtesy Library of Congress , Gen. John T. Wilder Courtesy Library of Congress