Gallatin in Sumner County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Rosemont
The Political War Within the War
The Civil War changed that world forever. Guild resisted secession but became an ardent Confederate once the war began. Federal military governor Andrew Johnson ordered Guild’s arrest on April 11, 1862, for “treasonable language” and “his influence…against the Government of the United States.” Denied the writ of habeas corpus, Guild and two other Tennesseans were confined without trial at Fort Mackinac, Michigan. On August 1, Guild took the loyalty oath. He returned home September 25 and remained under the watchful eyes of Union officers.
Rosemont’s hilltop setting made it an ideal post for pickets guarding the southern approach to town. Federal troops hauled off 40 wagonloads of the estate’s timber in 1864. Guild petitioned the local commander to stop the cutting and even hid horses in the cellar to prevent their seizure.
After the war, Guild defended Confederate guerilla Champ Ferguson at a controversial military trial in Nashville, where in October 1865 the court sentenced Ferguson to death. He was the only Tennessean executed for war crimes after the Civil War. At a Democratic Party gathering in 1868, Guild observed: “How changed are the times!...we are the mere creatures of our former slaves; we are completely metamorphosed, with the exception that our skins are yet white.”
(captions)
Josephus C. Guild Courtesy of Sumner County Museum
Rosemont, 1876 - Courtesy of Kenneth C. Thompson, Jr.
Erected by Tennessee Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #17 Andrew Johnson, and the Tennessee Civil War Trails series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1842.
Location. 36° 22.598′ N, 86° 26.552′ W. Marker is in Gallatin, Tennessee, in Sumner County. Marker is at the intersection of South Water Avenue (Old State Highway 109) and James Street, on the right when traveling south on South Water Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gallatin TN 37066, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Rose Mont (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Rose Mont (within shouting distance of this marker); Peter Vertrees (approx. 0.7 miles away); Sumner County Tennessee Mexican-American War Monument (approx. ¾ mile away); Monument to the Fallen (approx. ¾ mile away); Maywood (approx. ¾ mile away); Trousdale Place (approx. 0.8 miles away); Confederate Soldiers Monument (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gallatin.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 786 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 5, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.