Springfield in Robertson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
An Army In Springfield
Federal Occupation
Photographed by Don Morfe, July 24, 2013
1. An Army In Springfield Marker
Inscription.
An Army In Springfield. Federal Occupation. For most residents, Robertson County was a difficult place to live during the war. After the fall of Confederate Forts Henry and Donelson in 1862, Union forces occupied the county and made the town of Springfield a military base, where they guarded local roads and the Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad. Federal troops used the First Presbyterian Church on Locust Street as a stable; damage from horseshoes can still be seen in this historic building. Relations between the soldiers and the residents were generally friendly at first, but by February 1863, citizens were complaining of misbehavior and thievery to Military Governor Andrew Johnson. During one horrific December 1864 day at Wessyngton Plantation, Union soldiers threatened and then shot the plantation owner while burning many farm buildings there., Other important military activities also affected civilian life. In June 1861, Confederates established a major induction center, Camp Cheatham. It was named in honor of Gen. Benjamin Franklin Cheatham, whose ancestors were among the founders of Springfield. During the autumn of 1862, Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgans cavalry raid destroyed the Dead Horse Trestle near Ridgetop. In 1863, Federal authorities recruited escaped slaves from local plantations and formed units of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCTs). In 1864, the 15th USCT formed part of the Union garrison in Springfield., “The house had been pillaged from garret to cellar, trunks broken, open(ed) and rifled, furniture chopped to pieces with axes, doors burst down, and your Grandma cursed and told if she did not give them 500 dollars, they would burn the house over here d__n old head.” , Jane Washington, Dec 18, 1864, (captions) , First Presbyterian Church Courtesy Robertson County Archives , Wessyngton Plantation Courtesy Robertson County Archives
For most residents, Robertson County was a difficult place to live during the war. After the fall of Confederate Forts Henry and Donelson in 1862, Union forces occupied the county and made the town of Springfield a military base, where they guarded local roads and the Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad. Federal troops used the First Presbyterian Church on Locust Street as a stable; damage from horseshoes can still be seen in this historic building. Relations between the soldiers and the residents were generally friendly at first, but by February 1863, citizens were complaining of misbehavior and thievery to Military Governor Andrew Johnson. During one horrific December 1864 day at Wessyngton Plantation, Union soldiers threatened and then shot the plantation owner while burning many farm buildings there.
Other important military activities also affected civilian life. In June 1861, Confederates established a major induction center, Camp Cheatham. It was named in honor of Gen. Benjamin Franklin Cheatham, whose ancestors were among the founders of Springfield. During the autumn of 1862, Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgans cavalry raid destroyed the Dead Horse Trestle near Ridgetop. In 1863, Federal authorities recruited escaped slaves from local plantations and formed units of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCTs). In 1864, the 15th USCT
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formed part of the Union garrison in Springfield.
“The house had been pillaged from garret to cellar, trunks broken, open(ed) & rifled, furniture chopped to pieces with axes, doors burst down, and your Grandma cursed and told if she did not give them 500 dollars, they would burn the house over here d__n old head.” — Jane Washington, Dec 18, 1864
(captions)
First Presbyterian Church Courtesy Robertson County Archives
Wessyngton Plantation Courtesy Robertson County Archives
Location. 36° 30.522′ N, 86° 53.164′ W. Marker is in Springfield, Tennessee, in Robertson County. It is at the intersection of West 6th Avenue and Locust Street, on the left when traveling west on West 6th Avenue. This marker is located in front of the Robertson County History Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 124 6th Ave W, Springfield TN 37172, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee, in the Highland Rim, and in Greater Nashville. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
4. US Post Office, Now the Robertson County History Museum
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 12, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,112 times since then and 82 times this year. Last updated on April 10, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on September 12, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 4. submitted on June 19, 2015, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
