Historical Markers and War Memorials in Stewart County, Tennessee
Dover is the county seat for Stewart County
Adjacent to Stewart County, Tennessee
Benton County(21) ► Henry County(28) ► Houston County(5) ► Montgomery County(108) ► Calloway County, Kentucky(22) ► Christian County, Kentucky(30) ► Trigg County, Kentucky(28) ►
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For more than a century Stewart County, Tennessee, was an active industrial iron producer in an agricultural south. The ruins of this limestone slab furnace are all that is left of the Great Western Iron Works, once one of eighteen such iron . . . — — Map (db m136753) HM
Gen. Hylan B. Lyon's Cavalry Brigade ferried here on the raid through West Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and North Alabama, using the steamer Ben South, captured by gunfire of Gracey's Battery under Lt. R.B. Matthews. They later captured the steamer . . . — — Map (db m205465) HM
Thirteen thousand dejected Confederate defenders of Fort Donelson huddled here against the cold on February 16, 1862. They had fought long and hard against Grant's forces and did not consider themselves defeated. They had been surrendered against . . . — — Map (db m38800) HM
The 6-pounder was the prime artillery piece of the Mexican War and the smallest regulation gun of the Civil War. The Confederacy and the Union armies in the west used it extensively, but it was replaced in the Union armies in the east by the . . . — — Map (db m82869) HM
Here was formerly a road following a telegraph line between Dover and Tennessee River. Following Ft. Henry’s capture, Grant’s Army of the Ohio marched on Ft. Donelson in two columns, the northernmost on this road. Leading in battle formation was the . . . — — Map (db m21295) HM
Here was the "Ridge Road" from Ft. Henry to Ft. Donelson. After Ft. Henry's capture, Grant marched the southernmost column of the Army of the Ohio on Ft. Donelson along this route. Leading in battle formation was the 1st Brig., 1st Div., Col. R.J. . . . — — Map (db m158835) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Gideon J. Pillow's Division Colonel William E. Baldwin's Brigade26th Tennessee, Colonel John M. Lillard 26th Mississippi, Colonel Arthur E. Reynolds Baldwin's command, being part of the 2d Brigade of General Buckner's . . . — — Map (db m38688) HM
Union and Confederate forces clashed near here again on February 3, 1863, almost one year after the Battle of Fort Donelson. Confederate Gen. Joseph Wheeler attacked Dover’s 800-man Federal garrison after he failed to disrupt Union shipping on the . . . — — Map (db m173094) HM
You are standing inside the easternmost rifle pits of Fort Henry. These earthworks are all that remain of the hastily constructed earthen fort that now lies beneath the waters of Kentucky Lake. At noon on February 6, 1862, Union Flag Officer Andrew . . . — — Map (db m173077) HM
Joseph and Robert Woods and Thomas Yeatman built the first charcoal cold-blast furnace here in 1830. It used brown hematite ore from local deposits. Destroyed by Union forces in 1862, the present stack was built in 1873, with a railroad to Tennessee . . . — — Map (db m155815) HM
House built in 1888 by Nathan G. Brandon
W.D. Sykes became the 4th owner in 1919. He was a successful businessman during the Depression years, a staunch Democrat who entertained Governor Austin Peay, U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull and . . . — — Map (db m155824) HM
U. S. A.
Brigadier General Charles F. Smith’s Division
Colonel John McArthur’s Brigade
Colonel John Cook’s Brigade
Colonel Jacob G. Lauman’s Brigade
Colonel Morgan L. Smith’s Brigade
2nd Battalion, 1st Missouri Light Artillery . . . — — Map (db m218884) HM
U. S. A.
Brigadier General John A. McClernand’s Division
Colonel Richard J. Oglesby’s Brigade
8th Illinois Infantry, lieut. Colonel Frank L. Rhoads
18th Illinois Infantry, Colonel Michael K. Lawler
29th Illinois Infantry, Colonel . . . — — Map (db m218885) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner's Division Colonel John C. Brown's BrigadeEarly on February 15, 1862 General Buckner's Division relieved by the 30th Tennessee, left the line of trenches west of Indian Creek and, headed by the 3d . . . — — Map (db m38764) HM
To stop the Confederate break-out attempt on February 15, Grant sent his reorganized troops against the Confederate left. At the same time, to take advantage of the weakened enemy line, he sent C.F. Smith's Division against the Confederate right. . . . — — Map (db m38145) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner's DivisionOn February 15, 1862, about 1 p.m. this division in compliance with General Floyd's orders withdrew to its original position within the trenches covered by the 2d Kentucky and 41st Tennessee. . . . — — Map (db m38146) HM
This 1877 house served as office and quarters for the cemetery keeper until 1931. The design of the building is Second Empire (French), from the reign of Napoleon III (1852-1870). This architectural style is characterized by gables and a roof . . . — — Map (db m38815) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson's Division Colonel Thomas J. Davidson's Brigade 3d Mississippi, Lieut. Colonel Joseph M. Wells 8th Kentucky, Lieut. Colonel Hylan B. Lyon 7th Texas, Colonel John Gregg 1st Mississippi, Lieut. . . . — — Map (db m148360) HM
"The [10-inch] Columbiad was rigidly impartial, and fired on the boats as... ircumstances dictated, with...the last few shots... directed at the Carondelet... hugging the eastern shore and... a little in advance of others... Several well-directed . . . — — Map (db m192470) HM
"A great shouting was heard behind me, whereupon I sent an orderly to ascertain the cause. The man reported the road and woods full of soldiers apparently in rout. An officer then rode by at full speed, shouting 'All's lost! Save . . . — — Map (db m38591) HM
"Fill your cartridge boxes, quick, and get into line; the enemy is trying to escape and he must not be permitted to do so." Col. J.D. Webster, USA The advantage lay with the Confederates. They could press the attack and possibly destroy . . . — — Map (db m38593) HM
Because they had fought against the United States, Confederate dead were not reburied in the National Cemetery. This monument erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy is a memorial for those men. It was dedicated in 1933. — — Map (db m103059) HM
During the Civil War rivers and railroads routinely carried soldiers, material, and food to keep the war effort going. The Tennessee and Cumberland rivers were the main arteries that carried the economic lifeblood to the heart of middle Tennessee. . . . — — Map (db m38382) HM
Built between 1851 and 1853, this hotel accommodated riverboat travelers before and after the Civil War. Confederate General Buckner and his staff used the hotel as their headquarters during the battle. After Buckner accepted what he called Grant's . . . — — Map (db m38766) HM
This reproduction pre-Civil War cannon stands near
the site of a 32-pounder smoothbore cannon that
helped Col. Abner Harding's Union infantry repel
Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler's Confederate cavalry
attack on Dover on February 3, 1863.
Wheeler, . . . — — Map (db m148359) HM
We awaited with deep anxiety the result of the attack and severe bombardment of the river batteries by our gunboats. Gloom ... ensued upon the news reaching us of their failure and withdrawal from the contest. H.W. Dudley, Taylor's Battery, . . . — — Map (db m38376) HM
In the heat of Friday evening's battle, a ball jammed half way down the barrel of the 64-pounder rifled Columbiad here. Sergeant Patrick Cook and his crew went hunting for a log. They climbed on the parapet and into Federal fire. The men manhandled . . . — — Map (db m173022) HM
The gunboat flotilla that Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote launched against Forts Henry and Donelson consisted of both timberclad and ironclad vessels. The timberclads - Conestoga, Lexington, and Tyler - were commercial river steamers . . . — — Map (db m38349) HM
(overview)
In February 1862, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant attacked Forts Henry and Donelson on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers to take control of western Tennessee and Kentucky as well as the rivers. Grant captured Fort Henry on February . . . — — Map (db m173091) HM
C.S.A. Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest's CavalryOn February 12, 1862, Forrest's Cavalry engaged in maneuvers to delay the advance of the Federal force on Fort Donelson. Observing the change of direction made by McClernand's Division after the . . . — — Map (db m38451) HM
C.S.A. Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest's CavalryOn February 15, 1862, during the attack Forrest's Cavalry covered the extreme left of the Confederate line. The backwater in lick creek and the swampy condition of the flats along the creek . . . — — Map (db m38755) HM
(overview)
In February 1862, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant attacked Forts Henry and Donelson on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers to take control of western Tennessee and Kentucky as well as the rivers. Grant captured Fort Henry on February . . . — — Map (db m173095) HM
C.S.A. Fort DonelsonThe Confederate defenses consisted of this fort, two water batteries and the line of rifle pits enclosing these and the town of Dover. The garrison of the fort proper consisted of the30th Tennessee, Colonel John W. Head . . . — — Map (db m21342) HM
The mounds of earth you see before you are the remains of Fort Donelson, which originally covered 15 acres. Confederate soldiers and enslaved African Americans built the fort over a period of seven months. The walls, made of logs and earth, stood 10 . . . — — Map (db m82934) HM
Here the Union won its first major victory of the Civil War. The surrender of Fort Donelson, along with the capture of Forts Henry and Heiman, forced the Confederacy to abandon Nashville and give up southern Kentucky and much of middle and west . . . — — Map (db m173008) HM
This shaft is dedicated as an altar of remembrance to the Confederate soldiers who fought at Fort Donelson February, 1862 by the Daughters of the Confederacy of Tennessee "There is no holier spot of ground than where defeated valor lies" . . . — — Map (db m38085) HM
Fort Henry is part of Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area. Located 12 miles west of Fort Donelson on the eastern bank of the Tennessee River, Fort Henry was a five-sided, open-bastioned earthen fort designed to guard against Union ship . . . — — Map (db m91824) HM
After the Union victory at Fort Donelson, slaves escaping from nearby farms and iron foundries flocked to the area seeking freedom and protection. By March 1863 some 300 refugees lived here at the freedmen's camp that came to be known as "Free . . . — — Map (db m82948) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson's Division Colonel Joseph Drake's Brigade French's BatteryThis battery of four pieces went into position between the 4th Mississippi and 15th Arkansas regiments and supported the brigade effectively in . . . — — Map (db m38478) HM
The Confederate outer defenses, in February 1862, formed a 3-mile broken line around Fort Donelson and Dover. The Confederates cut trees in front of the entrenchments to construct an abatis, a formidable obstacle to the enemy. Field artillery . . . — — Map (db m82949) HM
This battery of 6 field pieces occupied this position commanding the valley of Indian Creek.
On February 13, 1862, in the morning, these guns opened an effective fire upon Federal troops advancing in an attack against the position held by . . . — — Map (db m103401) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson's Division Colonel Thomas J. Davidson's Brigade Greene's BatteryThe 2nd Division of this battery, consisting of three guns, occupied this position astride the Old Forge Road. The guns covered the road . . . — — Map (db m38762) HM
The four mounds in this section of the water batteries are some of the first structures built to defend the river. The Confederates mounted three 32-pounder cannon here but moved them before the gunboat attack. From this position they could not be . . . — — Map (db m38383) HM
Fort Donelson National Cemetery was established in 1867 as the final resting place for Union soldiers and sailors who died during the Civil War and were buried in this area. The cemetery occupies the site of the second Fort Donelson built in 1863 by . . . — — Map (db m38813) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson's Division Colonel Adolphus Heiman's BrigadeOn February 13, 1862, about noon, a Federal force under Colonel William R. Morrison, deployed in the woods opposite the right and center of this brigade and . . . — — Map (db m38452) HM
The first courthouse in Stewart County, Tennessee was erected in June 1806 in the Township of Dover. In 1823, the original log courthouse was replaced and later destroyed by fire during the Civil War in 1862. The courthouse was rebuilt in 1870. It . . . — — Map (db m38896) HM
(overview)
In February 1862, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant attacked Forts Henry and Donelson on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers to take control of western Tennessee and Kentucky as well as the rivers. Grant captured Fort Henry on February . . . — — Map (db m173092) HM
The remains of the trenches you see here are part of the outer line of defenses that protected Fort Donelson against land attack. This part of the line was initially occupied by Capt. Rice E. Graves' six-gun Kentucky Battery with instructions to . . . — — Map (db m63405) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner's Division Jackson's Virginia BatteryThis battery of four pieces occupied this position on the night of February 13, 1862. On February 15, it proceeded with the division to the left of the intrenchments . . . — — Map (db m38398) HM
On the evening of February 13, 1862 the U.S. Gunboat Carondelet fired a few shots at this lower water battery. One Carondelet projectile hit the side of a Confederate gun-carriage at this location. A large "screw bolt" went flying. The loose screw . . . — — Map (db m103210) HM
U.S.A. Brigadier General Charles F. Smith's Division Colonel Jacob G. Lauman's Brigade2d Iowa, Colonel James M. Tuttle 7th Iowa, Lieut. Colonel James C. Parrott 14th Iowa, Colonel William T. Shaw 16th Missouri, Lieut. Colonel Benjamin S. Compton . . . — — Map (db m82952) HM
"We lived luxuriously in comfortable tents and log huts," one Fort Donelson soldier wrote in the more tranquil days before cold weather set in and the armies clashed. Besides rations of flour, fresh and cured meats, sugar, and coffee, every . . . — — Map (db m38181) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson's Division Colonel Adolphus Heiman's Brigade Maney's BatteryThis battery of four pieces occupied this position throughout the operations around Fort Donelson, engaging the Federal artillery at various . . . — — Map (db m38475) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Gideon J. Pillow's Division Colonel John McCausland's Brigade36th Virginia, Lieut. Colonel L. Wilber Reid 50th Virginia, Major Charles E. Thorburn 20th Mississippi, Major William N. Brown Proceeding from Cumberland City . . . — — Map (db m38759) HM
(overview)
In February 1862, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant attacked Forts Henry and Donelson on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers to take control of western Tennessee and Kentucky as well as the rivers. Grant captured Fort Henry on February . . . — — Map (db m173093) HM
U.S.A. Brigadier General John A. McClernand's Division Colonel William R. Morrison's Brigade17th Illinois, Major Francis M. Smith 49th Illinois, Lieut. Colonel Phineas Pease On February 13, 1862, about 10 a.m., this brigade crossed Indian Creek . . . — — Map (db m38476) HM
C.S.A.
Original position of a four gun section of Greene's Battery, Bushrod Johnson's Division. During the shift of Confederate forces to the left in preparation for the Break-out Attempt, the guns were abandoned in place. Later in the day a detail . . . — — Map (db m148361) HM
The road heading down the ravine (to your left) is Main street. In 1862, it was Forge Road and key to plans to remedy what Generals Floyd, Pillow, Buckner, and Forrest considered a deteriorating situation. The plan took shape at a late-night council . . . — — Map (db m38761) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner's Division Colonel John C. Brown's Brigade Porter's BatteryThis battery of 6 guns occupied the salient sweeping all approaches to the front and flanking the trenches to the right and left. On February . . . — — Map (db m38078) HM
These earthworks are the remains of the powder magazine for the Upper River Battery. Accounts of the period contain no information about its size, shape, or manner of construction. — — Map (db m38239) HM
On the hillside before you, inside the fort walls, stood some 100 log huts, part of 400 built in the area to house the Confederate garrison. The activity of hundreds of men probably created acres of mud during the winter snows and spring rains. . . . — — Map (db m173018) HM
The original magazine was a one room, double-wall building constructed of logs. It was made bombproof by a thick earth covering. The inner space was about 11 feet square. It held 1000 rounds for the guns of the Lower River Battery. An earthen-wall . . . — — Map (db m38259) HM
At 1:30 a.m., February 16, 1862, at a final council of war in the Rice house (originally located in front of you at the corner of Pillow and Petty streets) Confederate Generals Floyd, Pillow, and Buckner decided that their failed breakout attempt . . . — — Map (db m38811) HM
Site of Gen. Gideon Pillow's headquarters where on the night of February 15, 1862, the principle Confederate commanders met to decide the fate of Fort Donelson. — — Map (db m103057) HM
Federal gunboats had edged up to within 400 yards. Artilleryman John Frequa calmly said, "Now boys, see me take a chimney." His shot tore a smokestack and the flag off the U.S. Gunboat Pittsburg. Tossing his cap into the air, Frequa roared, "Come on . . . — — Map (db m103209) HM
Come on, you volunteers, .... You volunteered to be killed for love of country and now you can be .... Brigadier General Charles F. Smith When the Confederates attacked the Union right flank with such force on February 15 in an attempt to . . . — — Map (db m38399) HM
In February 1862 Capt. Peter K. Stankiewicz commanded a battery of one 8-inch howitzer and two 9-pounder iron guns at this location. This battery helped defend against Union Gen. C.F. Smith's attack on Confederate Gen. Simon Buckner's position about . . . — — Map (db m38225) HM
Here, following a council of war with Brig. Gens. Floyd and Pillow, Brig. Gen. Simon B. Buckner surrendered the Confederate defenders of Fort Donelson to Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant, USA. The two senior Confederate generals, having abandoned command, . . . — — Map (db m21312) HM
Remembers the valor and devotion of her sons who served at Fort Donelson and other engagements of this theater of the Civil War. During the battle at Fort Donelson February 12-16, 1862 Col. John Gregg's 7th Texas Infantry of Davidson's Brigade, . . . — — Map (db m38261) HM
(side 1)
The Battle of Dover
Feb. 3, 1863
Confederate General John A. Wharton led an attack from the South and West against three companies of the Union 83rd Illinois Infantry and several cannons which were positioned near this . . . — — Map (db m87186) HM WM
C.S.A. The River Batteries Captain Joseph Dixon (Killed) Captain Jacob Culbertson CommanderThe lower water battery established at this point mounted eight 32-pounder guns and one 10-inch columbiad. Company A, 50th Tennessee, under Captain T.W. . . . — — Map (db m38260) HM
For over fifty years during the 19th Century, Stewart County was the center of the iron industry of Tennessee. For instance, in 1854, the county produced as much, tonnage-wise, as the next two largest producing counties in middle Tennessee and over . . . — — Map (db m38974) HM
C.S.A. The Upper Water Battery Captain Reuben R. Ross CommanderLocated on this position, this battery mounted one 6 1-2-inch rifled gun and two 32-pounder Carronades. The guns were manned by a detachment of Ross’ Battery of Maury Artillery which . . . — — Map (db m21344) HM
In memory of the Confederate Soldiers of Stewart County, TN
14th Tennessee Infantry Co D, E, F, G
33rd Tennessee Infantry Co G
49th Tennessee Infantry Co H K
50th Tennessee Infantry Co B, D, F, H, I
1st Tenn Heavy Artillery Co B . . . — — Map (db m173002) HM WM
The onshore Columbiad fired projectiles that tore all the way through the gunboat, showering sailors with splinters. When Carondelet's acting starboard bow gunner, John Hall, saw shots coming, he crouched down and called out "Down!" His men then . . . — — Map (db m103189) HM
A solid shot from the 10-inch Confederate Columbiad onshore crashed through the Louisville's bow porthole. That one ball killed three men. Blood and brains splattered Commander Benjamin Dove, the Louisville's captain. Dove calmly wiped . . . — — Map (db m103193) HM
"Still approaching with caution nearer and nearer to the fort, we continued firing shell, reducing the 15 second to the 5-second fuse until within 450 yards of the fort, up to which time, 4:15 p.m., we had expended 111 rounds... throwing 105 shells . . . — — Map (db m103190) HM
"...and after a severe fight of an hour and a half, being in the latter part of the action less than 400 yards from the fort...the St. Louis alone received 59 shots, 4 between wind and water and one in the pilot-house, mortally wounding the pilot . . . — — Map (db m103194) HM
The weather was bitterly cold and, as the soldiers of General Smith's division lay tentless and fireless along this ridgeline the night of February 15, 1862, an icy wind made sleep impossible. They occupied trenches that only that morning formed the . . . — — Map (db m38406) HM
C.S.A. Brigadier General Gideon J. Pillow's Division Colonel Gabriel C. Wharton's Brigade51st Virginia, Lieut. Colonel James W. Massie 56th Virginia, Captain George W. Davis Arrived at Fort Donelson on February 7 and 8, 1862. First assigned to . . . — — Map (db m38590) HM
This is the smallest of the two river batteries built by Confederates in 1861 to protect the Cumberland River, a strategic transportation and supply route to Clarksville and Nashville. Semicircular in design and set some 30 feet above the river, the . . . — — Map (db m38251) HM
About 300 yds. upstream was a ford over which this road formerly crossed. Here, following a council of war in which he had refused to consent to the Confederate surrender, Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest led his regiment unopposed out of the position. . . . — — Map (db m81252) HM
About 4 mi. N., this was one of two forts erected to deny Tennessee River to the Federals. Ft. Heiman faced it from the Kentucky side. It was surrendered following naval bombardment, to Flag Officer A.H. Foote, USN, by Brig. Gen. Lloyd Tilghman, . . . — — Map (db m82953) HM
Built in 1854 by Brian, Newell & Co., this steam cold-blast charcoal furnace was built of limestone from the surrounding hills. Brown iron-ore came from shallow deposits about two miles north. Pig-iron was shipped by river or hauled to rolling mills . . . — — Map (db m39681) HM
This site of the first Union attack on river routes in the West lies below Kentucky Lake. Only the easternmost rifle pits remain above water. Because of the high water in the fort, only Capt. Taylor's Co. B. First Regt. Tenn. Art., stayed to slow . . . — — Map (db m21282) HM
