The Union Supply Depot

The Union Supply Depot. . , Johnsonville was a vital cog in the Union war machine. At this busy, noisy, sprawling complex of wharves, docks, warehouses and corrals the work of war continued unabated. Steamboats crowded the wharf. Day in and day out, laborers moved everything from blankets to cattle to rifles from boats onto trains bound for Nashville., Johnsonville, 1864 , Try to imagine Johnsonville in 1864. It is nothing like the peaceful forested park of today. It is ugly and bare. There are no trees, they have been leveled to give soldiers in the fortification a clear field of fire should the enemy attack., The depot is ugly and noisy. Steam whistles blare, trains chug along the tracks, the sawmill whines, men shout and horses neigh. The rough unpainted buildings are so new the smell of raw lumber lingers in the air. When it rains, and it often does in winter, the mud is unbelievable. Conditions don’t matter. What matters is keeping supplies moving to the front., Fueling Union Victory , The Johnsonville depot fed, clothed, and armed the Union armies that relentlessly hounded the Confederate Army of Tennessee, pushing them out of Tennessee once and for all. It supplied Gen. William T. Sherman’s successful Atlanta Campaign and fueled Union victory.