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Dickson in Dickson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
 

Camp Gillem

Gillem Station

 
 
Camp Gillem Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Don Morfe, July 24, 2013
1. Camp Gillem Marker
Inscription. In 1864, just to your left, the Federal army established Camp Gillem to protect the locomotive yard here at Gillem Station. Both were named for Gen. Alvan C. Gillem, commander of the troops guarding and constructing the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad. Gillem (1830-1875) was born in Gainesboro in Jackson County and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1851. He fought against the Seminole Indians and did garrison duty on the Texas frontier. After serving with distinction early in the war, he became colonel of the 10th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry (US) in May 1862. Promoted to brigadier general in August 1863, Gillem then supervised the troops protecting the new military railroad.

Camp Gillem and its surrounding fortifications guarded a long trestle that ran through the nearby valley. Union patrols left Camp Gillem to scout the countryside in search of Confederate guerrillas who sought to attack vulnerable points along the railroad. Detachments of the 10th Tennessee Infantry, posted at Gillem Station, patrolled the railroad until its completion. The 8th Iowa and 12th Tennessee Cavalry regiments and the 12th, 13th, and 100th U.S. Colored Troops infantry regiments also defended the tracks and facilities.

A small community emerged around Gillem Station during the war. In 1886, the name of this community was
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changed to Tennessee City at the request of W.A. Schoenfield, a land speculator who purchased several thousand acres nearby and hoped to establish a large city. His plans never materialized.

“I have just returned from the Tennessee River. Grading on Northwestern Railroad progressing. All the guerrilla bands infesting the country between the Cumberland and Duck Rivers west of this place have been routed and mostly driven beyond Tennessee River. Two of the worst leaders are disposed of—Perkins killed, and Ray and his gang captured.”
— Gen. Alvan C. Gillem

(Captions)
Gen. Alvan C. Gillem Courtesy Library of Congress
Gillem Station trestle, Nashville and Northwestern Railroad Courtesy Tennessee State Library & Archives

 
Erected by Tennessee Civil War Trails.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & StreetcarsWar, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1862.
 
Location. 36° 5.55′ N, 87° 30.936′ W. Marker is in Dickson, Tennessee, in Dickson County. Marker is on Ferbee Road east of Garners Creek Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 210 Ferbee Rd, Dickson TN 37055, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers.
Camp Gillem Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Don Morfe, July 24, 2013
2. Camp Gillem Marker
At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Irish Shanty (here, next to this marker); Civil War on Yellow Creek (approx. 3˝ miles away); James Worley (approx. 4.9 miles away); Yellow Bank Trestle (approx. 6.7 miles away); Freedom Light (approx. 7.1 miles away); Dickson, Tennessee,100 Years 1899-1999 (approx. 7.1 miles away); World War I 1917-1919 (approx. 7.1 miles away); World War II 1940-1946 (approx. 7.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dickson.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 30, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 921 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on August 12, 2022, by Drew A Gruber of N/a, N/a. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on September 30, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 18, 2024