April 26, 2024

BATTLE OF NASHVILLE TRUST TO JOIN METRO HISTORICAL COMMISSION AND OTHERS IN HISTORICAL MARKER CLEAN-UP

The Battle Of Nashville Trust has agreed to participate in the annual “National Historic Marker Day” in conjunction with the Metro Historical Commission on April 26, 2024. According to the National Historical Marker Database, there are more than 191,000 historical markers in the U.S., including many in Davidson County memorializing events that occurred before, during and after the Battle of Nashville in 1864.

The Marker Day event is designed to clean up the markers, which are often affected by the dirt and grime of nearby traffic as well as exposure to weather. So far, the Commission has asked BONT to take the lead in cleaning at least two of the more high-profile Battle markers, including the Confederate battle line marker on Woodmont Boulevard, which denotes the first day of the battle on Dec. 15, 1864, and the Shy’s Hill marker, noting the key site during the second day of fighting. Nationally, the Historic Marker Day event is sponsored by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, a non-profit which supports the “celebration and preservation of community histories” across the country.

February 11, 2024

HISTORIAN MASSEY FOCUSES ON GEN. LORING IN NEW BOOK AND FRANKLIN ROUND TABLE EVENT

The Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 Franklin Civil War Round Table will feature historian and author Ross Massey speaking on his new book Loring’s Division, which was released in April, 2023, and focuses on Maj. Gen. William W. Loring’s leadership role in the Army of Tennessee.

The event will take place at 3:00 p.m. at Carnton’s Fleming Center in Franklin and is open the public. The speaker will have copies of his books on hand for purchase and signing. For more information contact gregwade55@yahoo.com.

In Hood’s disastrous open-field charge in the Battle of Franklin on Nov. 30, 1864, it was Loring’s Mississippians who charged across Carnton’s grounds on their way to the most losses by any state in the Battle. A couple of weeks later in Nashville, Loring’s Division attempted to hold down the corner of the Confederate left flank on Dec. 15, 1864, in the area of Redoubts No. 1 and 2.

Ross Massey grew up in Nashville and was greatly impacted by a Centennial reenactment that came near his home as a child. Since then, he has become a leading expert on the Battle of Nashville. His 2007 book, The Nashville Battlefield Guide, is considered one of the best resources for touring important sites of the Battle of Nashville.

He is a founding member of the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society (now the Battle of Nashville Trust), which helped to save Redoubt No. 1 and Shy’s Hill in Nashville, and is as an advocate for the preservation of Fort Negley. His work with the Sons of Confederate Veterans on annual tours of Mt. Olivet Cemetery led to recognition by the Metro Historical Commission with an award presented by Nashville’s mayor.

February 10, 2024 – Save the Date

NEW SYMPOSIUM: GRANT OPENS THE DOOR FOR OCCUPATION OF NASHVILLE

The 2^nd Annual Civil War Symposium focusing on military action around Dover, Tennessee, will take place in the shadow of Ft. Donelson National Battlefield on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. Five excellent speakers are lined up to explore various aspects of the battles that were centered around Forts Henry and Donelson as Gen. U.S. Grant successfully sought to break through Confederate forces in Middle Tennessee. The full day symposium will begin with the first speaker at 9:00 a.m. at 117 Visitor’s Center Lane in Dover, along with artifacts and other interpretive displays. The public is invited without charge. See the flyer below for all necessary details.

January 9, 2024

NCWRT BEGINS 15th YEAR: KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE ON THE ROAD WITH AUTHOR JOHN BANKS

Battle of Nashville Trust board member, author, and Civil War chronicler John Banks returns to the Nashville Civil War Roundtable on Jan. 9, 2024, to kick off a new year of presentations on the topic, “The Civil War Trip Of A Lifetime.”

That topic is also the title of his third book, published in 2023 and loaded with seldom-heard tales gleaned from John’s epic year of touring some of the most unique and interesting locations of the Civil War. The book, boasting a 5-star rating on Amazon, takes the reader along for the ride on a road trip that unearths fascinating places, people, and events that shed new light on the War years.

The NCWRT meeting, which begins its 15^th year of exploring enlightening stories of the War, will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Ft. Negley Visitors Center in Nashville, and as always, is open to the public without charge.

John Banks began his long career as a journalist after earning his degree in journalism at West Virginia University and going on to write for The Dallas Morning News and ESPN. In addition to his service on the BONT Board, he is secretary-treasurer of “The Center for Civil War Photography” and a board member of the “Save Historic Antietam Foundation.” When he’s not exploring the nooks and crannies of far-flung battlefields, he also publishes on-line his well-known “John Banks’ Civil War Blog” in which he often repeats his mantra as a journalist-historian, “Let’s keep history alive.”

His book, A Civil War Road Trip Of A Lifetime (320-plus pages, 89 photos), will be available at the meeting and is otherwise available on Amazon by clicking HERE. For earlier stories about John’s book, visit this website’s NEWS page and scroll to February, 2023.

December 16, 2023

BONT COMMEMORATES 159th ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE AT REDOUBT NO. 1 AND WITH DOUBLE WREATH CEREMONY AT SHY’S HILL

December gloom and a slow drizzle didn’t keep a sizeable crowd from the top of Shy’s Hill for the 159^th Battle Anniversary Wreath Ceremony. As usual, the ceremony began at 4:00 p.m., the approximate historically-accepted time of the beginning of the Federal charge up the hill.

Jim Kay speaks to gathering. BONT President Bill Ozier in background.

The event featured comments by former Battle of Nashville Trust president and historian Jim Kay. His perspective on the battle at the top of the Hill contained, as always, important reminders of what he referred to as a “timeless” place, including the foresight of developers in the 1950s in recognizing the historic value of the Hill and preserving it from residential building; his thought that of all the Confederate troops defending the Hill that December 16 day, maybe 75 were able to leave alive; and that the hilltop battle was over quickly, reminding the crowd that but for some changes in the top of the hill, they were standing within feet of where Col. William Shy died with a close-range shot to his head.

The event also included a second wreath placement in remembrance of John Allyn, long-time friend of BONT, member of its Board for many years, and significant contributor to the preservation of Nashville’s Civil War history. John passed away on Nov. 4, 2023 (for more details, see the News page).

His family, including wife Cary Allyn and son George, were in attendance to hear violinist Audrey Grace Swank play “Amazing Grace” at his wreath unveiling. Ms. Swank, a native of Alaska, is a student at New College in Franklin.

On Dec. 15, 2023, the Battle of Nashville Trust placed its memorial Wreath on the grounds of Confederate Redoubt No. 1 on Benham Ave. in Nashville, representing and commemorating soldiers of the Federal and Confederate armies on the first day of the Battle.

: Cary Allyn and son George

: BONT's Wreath at Redoubt No. 1

: Wreath at Illinois Monument

: Howitzers in position

: Philip Duer with violinist Audrey Grace Swank

: Shy's Hill wreaths

December 16, 2023 – Save the Date!

BONT AND FT. NEGLEY TO COMMEMORATE 159^th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF NASHVILLE

As part of a full day of activities commemorating the 159^th anniversary of the Battle of Nashville, BONT will hold its annual Wreath Ceremony at Shy’s Hill on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. As always, the public is invited to join the BONT board and members for the event, which will begin promptly at 4:00 p.m. on top of the Hill. Commentary on the Battle will be made by BONT’s Jim Kay.

Earlier in the day, the Battle anniversary will be recognized at Ft. Negley from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. with numerous reenactors on the grounds as well as presentations by three historians beginning at 10:00 a.m. including BONT board members Brandon Hullette, “Sunnyside Mansion: In Between Lines,” and Andy Blair, “General Hood’s Headquarters at Travellers Rest.” Myers Brown will speak on the Civil War at Belmont Mansion. The public is invited to the event taking place at the Ft. Negley Visitors Center.

In addition, the Annual Meeting of the Battle of Nashville Trust will be held on Wednesday, Dec.13 in the Event Center at Travellers Rest. The event will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. CST. All members are encouraged to attend. There is no charge.

Oct. 17, 2023

NASHVILLE CWRT FOCUSES ON HOW GRANT OVERCAME LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS DURING THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN

The variable logistical strategies used by Union Gen. U.S. Grant to take Vicksburg will be the topic for the Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023 meeting of the Nashville Civil War Round Table at Fort Negley Park in Nashville.

The speaker will be Dr. Philip Kemmerly, retired professor from Austin Peay State University. His area of specialty is geology, which he has applied along with civil engineering to the environmental and logistical problems of the Civil War. He has published numerous Civil War essays, which are detailed in the attached PDF. His presentation will concentrate on how Grant faced significant logistical issues when he began his Vicksburg campaign in 1862, and ultimately overcame all obstacles to finally take the city in July, 1864.

The NCWRT meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Fort Negley Visitors Center and is open to the public. For more information, click on Nashville CWRT October 2023.

Sept. 19, 2023

Nashville Civil War Roundtable: Gen. James Longstreet’s Rise to Power

The September meeting of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable will feature a presentation by guest speaker Col. (retired) Ed Lowe on the topic: “James Longstreet’s East Tennessee Campaign.”

Col. Lowe served 26 years on active duty with the U.S. Army, with deployment to Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He is a graduate of North Georgia College with numerous post graduate degrees and is currently working on two books on Lt. Gen. James Longstreet. He is president of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Civil War Roundtable.

The presentation will follow the rise of Gen. Longstreet and his deployment to East Tennessee, and the promise it held for him and the Confederacy as an independent commander, no longer in the shadow of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19, 2023, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the visitor’s center at Fort Negley Park in Nashville. As usual, it is open to the public. For more information on the meeting and Col. Lowe’s bio, see the NCWRT newsletter at Nashville CWRT September 2023 (1).

Sept. 30, 2023

Friends of Fort Negley Features Underground Railroad In Annual “Path To Freedom Lecture”

In celebration of International Underground Railroad History Month, Metro Parks and Friends of Fort Negley Park will present their annual Path To Freedom lecture on Sept. 30, 2023, featuring Vanderbilt professor emeritus Richard Blackett on the topic: “Telling Their Stories: Fugitive Slaves and the Underground Railroad.”

This special lecture is free and open to the public and will take place at Fort Negley Visitors Center (1100 Fort Negley Blvd.) on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 2:00 pm with a reception and book signing to follow. Seating is limited. Registration is suggested and can be found at PTF2023.eventbrite.com. A virtual option will also be available for those unable to attend.

August 22, 2023

PUBLIC TO BE UPDATED ON PROGRESS OF NEW GREENWAY SEGMENT THAT TRACKS CONFEDERATE FORWARD LINE OF DEC. 15, 1864

A public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, at Sevier Park Community Center to update progress on the new extension of the 440 Greenway that will roughly track the Confederate forward line that was in place on Dec. 15, 1864.

The new greenway will be the first opportunity for Nashvillians to explore this historic part of the Battlefield, which is otherwise heavily populated by residential housing. The forward line, defended by Gen. Stephen Lee’s Corps, ran generally in the area between Sunnyside Mansion (at Sevier Park between Granny White Pike and Lealand Ln.) and Brown’s Creek Park located near the intersection of present day Woodmont Blvd. and Franklin Pike.

Progress on the greenway extension will be discussed at a public meeting and open house on Aug. 22, 2023, at the Sevier Park Community Center anytime between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Design updates will be available, and representatives will answer any questions.

The new extension crosses ground that is rich in Battle of Nashville history but seldom seen by the public until now. It will encompass the existing Gale Lane Community Park and Greenway between Sunnyside and Brown’s Creek Park, an area in which remnants of earthworks have been discovered, including the space between the West and Middle Forks of Brown’s Creek. The eastern side of Brown’s Creek Park is near the location of the original Battle of Nashville Monument that was dedicated there in 1927 but destroyed by a tornado in 1974.

August 15, 2023

NCWRT EXPLORES ROSECRANS’S CHATTANOOGA CAMPAIGN

Gen. William S. Rosecrans

Jim Ogden, III, a national military park historian, will speak on the topic “William S. Rosecrans And His Campaign For Chattanooga” at the August, 2023 meeting of the Nashville Civil War Round Table.

Ogden, a native of Maryland, has a degree in American history from Frostburg State College and has dedicated his career to Civil War historical interpretation and research. He is currently staff historian for the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Parks.

For a complete summary of his many positions held, and contributions to Civil War history in general, and more about his topic, click on Nashville CWRT August 2023. The Roundtable meeting will take place at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, August 15, at the Fort Negley Visitor Center and is open to the public.

July 18, 2023

NASHVILLE’S CIVIL WAR RAILROAD SYSTEM

Railroad historian and author Walter R. Green, Jr. will tell the story of the famous Nashville & Decatur railroad line at the July, 2023 meeting of the Nashville Civil War Round Table.

The N&D line was a conglomeration of several rail companies along a track line that ran from Nashville to Decatur, AL, and was important to the Confederacy as an east-west supply line. The Confederacy lost control of the rails when Union troops occupied Nashville in 1862. Federal troops made excellent use of the N&D system, primarily using it to supply Gen. William Sherman in his invasion of Georgia. It became a significant weapon against the Confederacy, though its operations were constantly disrupted by Confederate cavalry and sympathizers.

The NCWRT meeting will take place at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, July 18, at the Fort Negley Visitor Center and is open to the public. For more details, click on the Nashville CWRT July 2023 newsletter.

June 20, 2023

MASSEY TO EXPLORE MILITARY LIFE OF GEN. LORING AT NCWRT MEETING

William W. Loring.jpg Ross Massey, a Civil War and Battle of Nashville historian, will speak on “Confederate General William Loring’s Division” at the June 20, 2023 meeting of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable.

Massey is well known to those interested in the Battle of Nashville because of his extensive knowledge of the battle and the battlefield, and the tours, presentations, and books he has used to educate others about the battle’s details. His newest book, Loring’s Division, explores one of the Civil War’s more interesting commanders. Loring was a North Carolina lawyer and legislator before his military career. In Nashville, he fought in Gen. A.P. Stewart’s Corps as a major general. Massey will cover his life before, during and after the Battle of Nashville.

The NCWRT will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20, at the Fort Negley Visitor’s Center. As always, it is open to the public. For more details, click on the Nashville CWRT June 2023 Newsletter

May 16, 2023

Gen. Ulysses S. Grant To Speak At Nashville Civil War Roundtable

Gen. Ulysses S. Grant will speak at the Nashville Civil War Round Table meeting on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

Actually, the speaker will be Dr. Curt Fields, who is renowned for his first-person portrayals of General Grant, whom he impersonates in events across the country for the National Park Service, historical groups, civil war round tables, and more.

Dr. fields not only brings his detailed impersonation of Grant to the presentation, but also the results of his extensive research and reading about the Union general, including books, articles, letters written by Grant, statements he made in interviews, and other first person accounts of those who knew him.

The NCWRT meeting will occur at 7:00 PM at the Fort Negley Visitor Center and it is open to the public .

April 18, 2023

Chief Curator To Review State Museum’s Huge Civil War Artifact Collection

The Nashville Civil War Roundtable meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, will feature speaker Richard White, Chief Curator of the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, speaking on “Confederate Collections Of The Tennessee State Museum.” White, whose background includes a masters in history from MTSU, board member of the Nashville City Cemetery Association, and contributing author for Civil War Flags Of Tennessee, will give a PowerPoint presentation describing the contents of the museum’s large Civil War collection of artifacts in chronological order. As always, the NCWRT meeting will occur at 7:00 p.m. at the Fort Negley Visitors Center and is open to the public. For more, check out the Roundtable’s newest newsletter: Nashville CWRT April 2023 TN state museum.

April 26, 2023

Vandy Prof Describes Prostitution in Nashville During the Civil War

The City of Nashville was under Federal occupation for almost three years prior to the Battle of Nashville, and the influx of soldiers and the business of war brought with it a significant increase in brothels and prostitutes. BONT board member Brandon Hulette, who is also an epidemiologist, historian, and associate professor of military science at Vanderbilt, will give a presentation on “Prostitution In Civil War Nashville” on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, as part of the “Profs And Pints” program. The event will take place at the Fait La Force Taproom located at 1414 3rd Ave. S., Suite 101, in Nashville. Advance tickets are $13.50, $17 at the door, $15 with Student I.D. For more information on the program, tickets, etc., visit the Fair La Force website.

February 21, 2023

Nashville Civil War Roundtable Explores Famous Confederate Battle Offensive In Missouri

Howard Mann, former president of the Kansas City Civil War Roundtable, will give a presentation on the Battle Of Pilot Knob, Missouri, at the February 21, 2023 meeting of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable.

The NCWRT meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Visitor’s Center of Ft. Negley Park in Nashville beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21. The topic involves the Confederacy’s effort to restore its government in Missouri, part of a plan to redirect attention away from Lee’s occupied army in Richmond. The Battle Of Pilot Knob occurred on September 27, 1864, and included a raid by three divisions to retake the City of St. Louis, as well as to invade Kansas to relieve arms and supplies from Fort Leavenworth.

January 17, 2023

Nashville Civil War Roundtable Will Host Author Mark Zimmerman To Examine the Massive Fortification of Nashville During Federal Occupation of the City

Author Mark Zimmerman will be the featured speaker at the Jan. 17, 2023, meeting of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable, speaking on the topic of his newest book, “Fortress Nashville: How the Heavily Fortified Logistics and Transportation Hub Became the Key to Victory in the Western Theater.” The meeting will be held at the Ft. Negley Visitors Center beginning at 7:00 p.m. and is open to the public. For more information, click on the Nashville CWRT January 2023 Newsletter.

Photo of Ft. Negley by Author Mark Zimmerman from his book “Fortress Nashville” (click to enlarge)

The speaker’s slideshow presentation emphasizes the critical role that Nashville played in the outcome of the Civil War in the Western Theater after the city was developed by occupying Federal forces into a major logistics center. Enormous effort and resources were expended in developing an extensive network of supply depots, river ports, rail infrastructure, and fortifications to ensure that Union armies were adequately supplied with beans and bullets. This network eventually ran from Louisville to Atlanta. Nashville was second only to Washington, D.C. in the enormity of fortifications.

According to NCWRT Program Chair Greg Biggs, one of the most fascinating stories is that of liberated slaves who were impressed into manual labor building forts for the Federals. Hundreds died building Fort Negley, the masterpiece of Capt. James St. Clair Morton’s genius. Those contrabands who survived were recruited into the fledgling U.S. Colored Troops. At first, USCT soldiers were assigned garrison duty, but then proved their mettle fighting at the Battle of Nashville. Today, the ruins of Fort Negley, owned by the City of Nashville, stands as testament not only to the Civil War but to Civil Rights.

A longtime member of the Nashville Civil War Round Table and the Battle of Nashville Trust, Mark Zimmerman has authored and published eight local history books, including four on the Civil War—Guide to Civil War Nashville, Iron Maidens and the Devil’s Daughters), Mud, Blood & Cold Steel: The 1864 Retreat from Nashville, and Fortress Nashville. He has presented at Fort Negley, Fort Defiance, Shiloh National Military Park, and Johnsonville State Historic Park. A former newspaperman and publications manager, he is now retired and owner/operator of Zimco Publications LLC (www.zimcopubs.com).

December 15, 2022

BONT AND “CIVIL WAR TRAILS” INSTALL SIGNAGE HONORING TRAIL-BLAZING AFRICAN AMERICAN SOLDIERS ON 158-th ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE

Civil War Trails marker (click to enlarge)

On Dec. 15, 1864, history was made on what is now the campus of STEM Preparatory Academy when three regiments of African American Union soldiers advanced toward the dug-in Confederate line to mark the beginning of the Battle of Nashville.

On Dec. 15, 2022, exactly 158 years later, the Battle of Nashville Trust and Civil War Trails memorialized that ground, and those soldiers who marched over it into history, by unveiling a marker honoring the United States Colored Troops (USCT) who fought and died there on that foggy morning.

The unveiling ceremony finalized the relationship forged between BONT and Civil War Trails in early 2022, spearheaded by BONT board member John Banks. The plan ultimately came together after BONT received a grant from the Tennessee Wars Commission to fund the marker; BONT board member Clay Bailey secured permission for its placement on the school property at 1252 Foster Avenue; and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (Visit Music City) joined as a sponsor.

Gary Burke (L) and Bill Radcliffe — both descendants of USCT soldiers — unveil Civil War Trails marker on Foster Avenue. Photo by John Banks

Speakers at the unveiling, led by John Banks, included Gary Burke, whose great great grandfather Pvt. Peter Bailey was among those who fought on this ground on that day; Dr. Kristin L. McGraner, founder and Executive Director of STEM Preparatory Academy; Dr. Learotha Williams Jr., scholar of African American, Civil War and Reconstruction, and Public History at Tennessee State University; and Commissioner Mark Ezell of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. Burke and Bill Radcliffe, who also had a USCT ancestor (one of 14 USCT soldiers to be awarded the Medal of Honor), unveiled the marker. Drew Gruber, CWT Executive Director, was not able to attend in person.

Dr. Learotha Williams speaks during ceremony. Photo by John Banks

The historic area where the new Foster Avenue marker was installed is only a half mile southeast of the important sites on Polk Avenue, including the preserved remnants of Granbury’s Lunette as well as the first-ever historical marker commemorating the USCT‘s role in the Battle of Nashville, erected in October, 2021, by the Metro (Nashville) Historical Commission, signifying the important and unique role played by African-American troops in the battle.

The Foster Avenue CWT marker explains how the inexperienced USCT troops, due primarily to failed pre-battle reconnaissance by Union officers, walked unknowingly into a deadly trap that morning in 1864 when they met with unexpected Confederate firepower, a 4-gun artillery battery, and a deep drop into a railroad cut, all of which resulted in significant casualty numbers.

The Civil War Trails program works with historical groups within a six-state area encompassing major Civil War battlefields to help visitors locate and understand notable Civil War events, and “to put them in the footsteps of the generals, soldiers, citizens, and the enslaved who found themselves in the midst of this Civil War.“ Civil War Trails has erected some 1,200 interpretive signs since 1994, 350 of which are located throughout Tennessee.

Importantly, the Tennessee Wars Commission grant also funded a second Civil War Trails marker to be placed at Peach Orchard Hill, commemorating a battle that featured combat bravery by USCT troops so remarkable that it drew praise from commanders for both armies in their reports. BONT is continuing its challenging search for a location among the extremely sparse available sites in the Peach Orchard Hill battlefield area.

USCT descendants Burke and Radcliffe examine the interpretative signage. Photo by John Banks

January 2023 (Register now!)

VANDERBILT ADULT EDUCATION CLASS EXPLORES NASHVILLE FORTS, INCLUDING NEGLEY AND OTHERS DURING THE CIVIL WAR

Prof. Brandon Hulette, Associate Professor of Military Science at Vanderbilt University and a member of the BONT Board of Directors, will be teaching a class on Nashville Civil War forts as part of Vanderbilt’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) for non-student adults over 50 in early 2023.

Interested participants can register on line (see link below) for six classes on consecutive Wednesdays, from Jan. 11 through Feb. 15. Tuition is $60. All classes will take place at the Fort Negley Visitors Center in Nashville from 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. For more information and registration, click this OLLI link and scroll down to the class entitled, “The Forts of Nashville, Then and Now.” The OLLI classes at Vanderbilt are designed for adults age 50+ to rediscover the joy of learning and build community through diverse social interaction. As part of his work on the military science faculty at Vanderbilt, Prof. Hulette, a native of Franklin, TN., has established two classes with the Civil War as their topic. As a Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army Reserves, he also serves as an instructor with Vanderbilt’s ROTC program.

Sept. 20, 2022

Nashville Civil War Roundtable To Explore Use of Flags And Other Signaling Devices During Civil War

Battle of Nashville Trust board member Andy Blair will be the featured speaker at the Sept. 20, 2022 meeting of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable, exploring the origins of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in his presentation, “Flags Under Fire: A History of the Signal Corps in the Civil War.”

The meeting will be held at the Ft. Negley Park Visitors Center beginning at 7:00 p.m. and is open to the public.

The speaker is a Nashville native who serves as Director of Education & Outreach at Travellers Rest Historic House Museum. He is a 2011 graduate of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia and a 2009 graduate of the Gettysburg Semester in American Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg College. Since 2011, he has worked in the field of Public History, and especially enjoys teaching younger children about the Civil War and some of its lasting legacies.

His presentation will focus on the birth of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and Albert J. Myer, who developed the Corps on the eve of the Civil War through the use of flags and torches, and will describe the part played by the Signal Corps in battles of both the Eastern & Western Theatres of the Civil War.

Save the Date – Dec. 15, 2022

BATTLE OF NASHVILLE TRUST TO HOLD ANNUAL MEETING ON 158^th ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE

The annual Membership Meeting of the Battle of Nashville Trust will have historical overtones this year, coinciding with the first day of the Battle 158 years ago, and occurring in the former headquarters of Gen. John Bell Hood.

Below is the official announcement to the membership by BONT President Bill Ozier:

“The Battle of Nashville Trust will hold its 2022 Annual Meeting on Thursday December 15 at Traveller’s Rest, located at 636 Farrell Parkway. I am sure most of you know where it is located. The date will be the 158th Anniversary of the first day of the Battle of Nashville and the location of General Hood’s Headquarters for the Battle from his arrival in Nashville on December 2 until he relocated for the second day of the battle on the 16th.

“We will begin at 5:00 with the Board of Directors Meeting and plan to adjourn around 7:00PM. We will have refreshments and “light” hors d’oeuvres. The meeting will be held in the Event Center to the right of the Main Building as you walk from the parking lot. We have a lot going on and will have a report on the distributions from the Dorris Estate and introduction of new members of the Board. I hope you can attend.

“Bill Ozier, President”

The event is open to all Battle of Nashville Trust members, spouses or significant others, and any guests with an interest in the BONT mission. In addition to light hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, President Ozier will make introductory remarks followed by a presentation by Jim Kay, former president of BONT who is the foremost historical authority on all aspects of the Battle.

Dress is “casual” and there is no admission charge. However, seating is limited and BONT requests that interested members RSVP by contacting BONT vice-president Ellen McClanahan by text at (615) 804-5068 or email at edmcclanahan79@gmail.com.

Fall, 2022

FORT NEGLEY RELEASES FULL FALL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Fort Negley has released its full Fall 2022 program list, featuring numerous new ways to experience the Fort and related timely topics.

Of special note, Civil War author and BONT member Mark Zimmerman will make a slide presentation on his newest book, Fortress Nashville, at the Sons of Union Veterans meeting on Sept. 27, 2022. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Fort Negley Visitors Center. The public is invited.

Among the other upcoming events are three Nashville Civil War Round Table programs, a guided walking tour of Fort Negley, another tour conducted by park staff focusing on the site’s rich African-American heritage, a two-day “living history“ event featuring reenactors representing the 10th Illinois infantry, Co. H, and many others focusing on a wide variety of topics including fossils, Civil War history, and the Fort’s legacy.

For a full list of all programs and details for each, please visit the Fort Negley program guide:

Fort Negley Programs Fall 2022

August 16, 2022

New Perspectives on Stone River Battle To Be Presented At Nashville Civil War Roundtable August Meeting

The August, 2022, meeting of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable will feature an analysis of the Battle of Stones River on Tuesday, August 16, at the Fort Negley visitors center in Nashville.

The speaker will be Rhea Cole of Murfreesboro, a “living history“ volunteer at Stones River since 1994 and recognized expert on the Stones River conflict. His presentation will focus on adding new perspective and narrative to the known facts of the battle.

The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and is open to the public. For more details, see the NCWRT Newsletter Aug. 2022.

July 19, 2022

BONT BOARD MEMBER JOHN BANKS TO SPEAK AT NCWRT ON THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM AND ITS IMPACT ON SOLDIERS AND OTHERS

Battle of Nashville Trust board member John Banks, a well-known Civil War author and historian who has extensive personal knowledge of the Battle of Antietam, will be the guest speaker at the July, 2022, Nashville Civil War Roundtable meeting on the topic, “The People of the Battle of Antietam.”

The meeting and presentation are open to the public and will take place in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park in Nashville beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.

Banks, in addition to his work with the BONT board, is also a board member of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. A long-time journalist and author in print and on the internet, he will profile soldiers and others whose lives were rocked by the Battle of Antietam. He’ll also profile some of those connected to the famous battlefield today, including a legendary relic hunter.

The Battle of Antietam, fought on Sept. 17, 1862, was the bloodiest day in the Civil War, accounting for nearly 23,000 casualties. Brig. Gen. John Bell Hood was among the officers in the battle fought between the armies of Gens. Robert E. Lee and George McClellan.

Banks has a deep personal knowledge of the battlefield, having walked its grounds and studied its place in history for years. As a young journalist, he got to know the family who farmed the bloody “Miller’s Cornfield” before it became National Park Service property. In addition, he is author of two books relevant to Antietam — Connecticut Yankees at Antietam and Hidden History of Connecticut Union Soldiers — which feature profiles of soldiers and others.

Banks is a journalism graduate of West Virginia University and went on to a career in journalism at The Dallas Morning News and ESPN. In addition to his work on the BONT and Antietam boards, he is secretary-treasurer of The Center for Civil War. His work has been featured in such notable publications as The New York Times, Civil War Times, Civil War Monitor, Civil War News, America’s Civil War and Military Images. In addition to periodic articles in both Civil War Times and America’s Civil War magazines, he also writes a well-respected Civil War blog, “John Banks’ Civil War Blog.”

April 10, 2022

GLOBAL LAND MINE SURVIVOR AND EXPERT TO SPEAK ON CIVIL WAR ORDNANCE AT FRANKLIN ROUND TABLE EVENT

Dr. Ken Rutherford, whose multi-faceted resume includes political science professor, author, and internationally-renowned advocate for landmine removal, will speak on the topic of Civil War ordnance on April 10, 2022, at a program sponsored by the Franklin Civil War Roundtable.

The program, which is open to the public, will take place at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, TN, at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 10.

Dr. Rutherford serves on the Board of Trustees of the congressionally-mandated Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, which preserves and interprets the region’s significant historic sites. Among the five books he has authored or co-edited is America’s Buried History: Landmines in the Civil War (2020), a comprehensive look at the often-overlooked use of land mines during the War, especially by the Confederacy. Dr. Rutherford has noted that these “infernal devices” dealt death and injury in nearly every Confederate state and influenced the course of the war. His is the first book devoted to a comprehensive analysis and history of this important topic.

Dr. Ken Rutherford in Shenandoah Valley. Photo by John Banks

BONT board member and author John Banks has written about Dr. Rutherford’s unique and very personal understanding of the dangers of land mines in his HistoryNet piece, “Losing His Legs to A Landmine Changed Professor’s Life.”

In 1993, while working for the International Rescue Committee in Somalia, Rutherford’s vehicle struck a landmine, injuring him severely and eventually resulting in amputation of both legs. Two years later, he co-founded the Landmine Survivors Network in 1995, which later became Survivor Corps. He accompanied Princess Diana on her last humanitarian mission to visit landmine survivors in Bosnia-Herzegovina in August 1997, only three weeks before her death. He was a prominent leader in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, resulting in the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Rutherford is a professor of political science at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. And holds B.A. and MBA degrees from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University.

His distinguished career includes service as Director of the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU, Peace Corps Volunteer in Mauritania, UNHCR Emergency Refugee Coordinator in Senegal, humanitarian emergency relief officer in northern Kenya and Somalia, and as Fulbright Scholar in Jordan.

He is included among the “one hundred most influential people in armed violence reduction” by the London-based organization Action on Armed Violence, and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Leadership in International Rehabilitation Award (Northwestern University), the Humanitarian Award presented by Sir Paul McCartney (UNA-USA) and the Human Security Person of the Year Award (University of California-Irvine). To see his complete CV, click here.

November 16, 2021

AUTHOR MARK ZIMMERMAN TO SPEAK ON THE RETREAT OF HOOD’S ARMY

Scheduling Note: Battle of Nashville Trust President Jim Kay will be the featured speaker at the December, 2021, meeting of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable. His topic, “Facts and Myths of Lt. Colonel William Shy,” will cover the fascinating life of the 26-year-old colonel of the 20th Tennessee Infantry Regiment who died in the Battle of Nashville at the top of what was then known as Compton Hill, and because of him, later came to be known as Shy’s Hill.

Well-known Nashville historian and author Mark Zimmerman will speak on the topic “The Brutal Retreat From Nashville” at the upcoming meeting of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, at the Ft. Negley visitor’s center. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and as always is open to the public.

Zimmerman’s topic is based on his most recently-published book, Mud, Blood & Cold Steel. After the Battle of Nashville on December 15-16, 1864, Federal cavalry and infantry chased Hood’s routed army south in a clash of cavalry giants – the Union Gen. James Wilson against Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. The chase began at the fall of Shy’s Hill and led to a brutal series of fights from Hollow Tree Gap to West Harpeth River to Alabama itself. Was Hood’s army really destroyed? Why did the Federals fall short?

Mark Zimmerman is a retired newspaperman and publications manager who resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a member of several historical preservation organizations including the Nashville Civil War Round Table, the Battle of Nashville Trust, the Civil War Fortification Study Group, and the American Battlefield Trust. He is the author of the Guide to Civil War Nashville, an excellent “must-have” overview of the Battle in text, images and maps. As noted, his most recent book covers Hood’s retreat after the Battle of Nashville and is entitled Mud, Blood & Cold Steel: The Retreat From Nashville, December 1864. He is working on a new book about Civil War forts. Mark will have copies of his books for sale at the meeting.

October 25, 2021

BRONZE USCT STATUE INSTALLED ON FRANKLIN PUBLIC SQUARE TO FINALIZE “FULLER STORY” PROJECT EXPLAINING THE CITY’S AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE

Only days after a ground-breaking historical marker recognizing African American troops was installed in Nashville, a bronze sculpture of a USCT soldier – symbolizing the 180,000 others who served in the Civil War including those who enlisted in Franklin and later fought in Nashville — was unveiled on the City Square of Franklin, Tennessee.

Unveiling of USCT statue on Franklin Square. Photo by Inetta Gaines

The statue gave Franklin, which was ground-zero for the bloody Battle of Franklin in 1864, the unique distinction of being a city in which both Confederate and USCT monuments stand in the same public space, following long-standing legal action by opposing sides – one group wanting to remove a pre-existing Confederate monument, and the other wanting to block erection of the USCT statue on the Square.

On October 25, 2021, the USCT bronze, entitled “March to Freedom,” was dedicated in front of the historic Franklin Courthouse, facing the town square which at its center is home to a monument to Confederate soldiers. The Confederate monument, known locally as “Chip” due to a chunk broken from the soldier’s marble hat, was installed in 1899 by its owner, the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Sculptor Joe F. Howard. Photo: Inetta Gaines

Taking the position that “Chip” doesn’t tell the “full story” of Franklin’s Civil War legacy, a community group known as “The Fuller Story“ was organized in 2017 and in conjunction with the Franklin City Board of Mayor and Aldermen, set in motion plans to erect five interpretative markers on the city square. The plans also included the bronze USCT statue.

The Fuller Story project, founded by Franklin historian Eric Jacobson and clergymen Chris Williamson, Hewitt Sawyers and Kevin Riggs, raised $150,000 privately, along with the Battle of Franklin Trust, to fund the statue created by sculptor Joe F. Howard. The Battle of Nashville Trust was among the historical groups and individuals contributing to the project.

The Fuller Story representatives noted that the statute symbolizes the approximately 180,000 Black soldiers who were in uniform during the Civil War, some 300 of whom had been residents of Williamson County, Tennessee, and who enlisted in the Union Army at this site after acquiring their freedom from slavery.

Though none actually saw combat during the horrific Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864, many were members of the two USCT brigades that were involved about two weeks later in the Battle of Nashville, where they saw action on both December 15 and 16, 1864.

The ground on which the sculpture stands is also the site of the market at which African-Americans were sold into slavery in Franklin in the 1800s.

“March to Freedom” became only the sixth public statue (as of 2021) recognizing U.S. Colored Troops in the United States, and the only one located on a public town square. One of the other six is a bronze sculpture located in the Nashville U.S. National Cemetery, commemorating fallen African-American Civil War soldiers, many of whom are interred there.

The statue is part of five interpretative markers installed in various locations of the Franklin Public Square, depicting the experience of African-Americans in Franklin before, during and after the Civil War. Visit the City of Franklin website for more detail about the Fuller Story, its history, and the signage on the Square.

October 15, 2021

FIRST HISTORICAL MARKER RECOGNIZING THE ROLE OF BLACK TROOPS IN THE BATTLE OF NASHVILLE HAS BEEN ERECTED NEAR GRANBURY’S LUNETTE

The African American troops of the Union army gained formal, public recognition on Oct. 15, 2021, when the Metro (Nashville) Historical Commission erected a marker near Granbury’s Lunette, some 157 years after they clashed on that ground with Confederate troops during the Battle of Nashville.

The marker is the first-ever commemoration of the important and unique role played by African-American troops in the Battle of Nashville. Other markers will follow, including two already in the advanced planning stages by the Battle of Nashville Trust.

Workers install USCT marker on Polk Avenue. Photo by Clay Bailey

Some 7,000 Union soldiers consisting mostly of United States Colored Troops (USCT) attacked Confederate forces at the Lunette during the foggy morning hours of Dec. 15, 1864, the opening salvos of the Battle of Nashville. The Lunette, a crescent shaped earthwork manned by about 340 Confederate soldiers, was anchoring the far right flank of the Confederate line.

The two brigades of Black troops, many of them former slaves, had virtually no combat experience. The First Brigade, consisting of five regiments (14^th, 16^th, 17^th, 18^th and 44^th) and led by Col. Thomas Morgan, was decimated by Confederate troops after they were led into an untenable position that left them exposed to Confederate fire, with devastating consequences. To review more details about the battle at the Lunette and the Confederate right flank, visit the Granbury’s Lunette page on this website.

The historical marker had been in development for years with the work spearheaded by USCT descendant and reenactor Gary Burke, whose great-great-grandfather had been among the USCT ranks on that 1864 morning. His ancestor, Pvt. Peter Bailey, served in the First Brigade, Co. K, 17^th USCT Regiment. The marker was placed on Polk Avenue at the intersection of Fiber Glass Road, within sight of the preserved remnants of Granbury’s Lunette. The Lunette is owned and maintained by the Gen. Joseph E. Johnston Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

The USCT marker reads:

BATTLE OF NASHVILLE
Attack By US Colored Troops
On The Confederate Right Flank

After defeating the Confederate army at Franklin, Union troops under Gen. John Schofield returned to Nashville. Confederate troops under Gen. John Bell Hood followed, and spent 2 weeks preparing to assault the capital. The Confederate line was anchored by Granbury’s Lunette, an earthworks fortification with four artillery pieces and 344 men under the command of Gen. Benjamin Cheatham. Early on Dec. 15, 1864, three brigades under Maj. Gen. James Steedman attacked the lunette.

Reenactors Bill Radcliffe, Norman Hill and Gary Burke pose at the marker with Jessica Reeves. Photo by Clay Bailey.

At the ceremonial installation of the marker, Gary Burke was joined by other USCT reenactors, including Bill Radcliffe and Norman Hill, all dressed in their U.S. Army blue uniforms. “It took 157 years to finally get this marker to fruition,” Burke told the assembled crowd. The three USCT reenactors ended the program by singing the African American anthem “Oh, Freedom” acapella.

Burke mentioned numerous others involved in realization of the marker, including Jessica Reeves, coordinator of the Historical Markers Program for the Metro (Nashville) Historical Commission, along with two other Metro Historical Commissioners: Linda Wynn, a Fisk University history instructor and staff of the Tennessee Historical Commission, and Clay Bailey, a BONT board member and head of the history department at Montgomery Bell Academy; and Learotha Williams Jr., Metro Historic Zoning Commissioner and professor of African American history at Tennessee State University.

Jim Kay, president of the Battle of Nashville Trust, pointed out that prior to this USCT assault, officers in both Union and Confederate forces questioned whether Black troops would “stand and fight” in military combat. That myth vanished after the two USCT brigades displayed their courage and commitment at Granbury’s Lunette and again on Dec. 16, 1864, in the brutal assault up Peach Orchard Hill, after which officers of both armies commended their valor in the field of battle.

Kay credited the persistence of USCT descendants, especially Gary Burke, for bringing the long-overdue historical recognition to reality. “His efforts were monumental here. This has been a long-time dream of his and much of this credit goes to him and him alone,” Kay said.

The Battle of Nashville Trust has secured grants from the Tennessee Wars Commission to place two interpretative markers explaining the USCT’s involvement in the Battle of Nashville. One is planned for the Peach Orchard Hill area, site of one of the bloodiest conflicts of the two-day battle of Nashville. The site under consideration is the north slope of the hill where two USCT brigades distinguished themselves on the afternoon of Dec. 16, 1864. The other will be in the Granbury‘s Lunette area, near the railroad cut. The markers will be placed in conjunction with Civil War Trails, and are designed to interpret the historical action that occurred near the site of the signage. Civil War Trails signs are currently located in over 1,200 sites.

September, 2021

KAY DESCRIBES THE RISE AND FALL OF REDOUBT NO. 4 IN A PRESENTATION TO ABBOTTSFORD RESIDENTS WHOSE PROPERTY ENCOMPASSES THE PRESERVED FORT

Jim Kay, president of the Battle of Nashville Trust, spoke by invitation on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, to the residents of the Abbottsford community about Redoubt No. 4, the historic remnants of which have been partially preserved on their property.

From his huge collection of Civil War artifacts which he has been discovering in Nashville neighborhoods since childhood, Kay brought and displayed many that were found in the vicinity of Redoubt No. 4 at Abbottsford, which had previously been the farm of Frank R. Leu.

He began his presentation with an overview of the city of Nashville under Federal control, noting that the massive battlefield area south of Fort Negley had been largely denuded of trees, not only for firewood, but also for clearing a “field of fire” for artillery. That included the hills where Redoubts 4 and 5 were located, west of the Hillsboro Pike. As he noted, Confederate forces on this very high ground could see for many miles, and conversely, Union forces could see the Confederate works.

Redoubt No. 4 was involved in some of the earliest and heaviest fighting on the first day of the battle, December 15, 1864. The Redoubt itself was an earthen fort which Confederate troops began digging on December 2, 1864, after Gen. John Bell Hood brought his army north from Franklin. Due to harsh winter conditions, excavation was extremely difficult, and construction was not completed before the battle. Kay said the Redoubt would have been laid out by Maj. Wilbur Foster, a military engineer assigned to Gen. A.P. Stewart’s corp. Today, the high ground where the remnants of the Redoubt are located is named “Foster Hill,“ possibly after Major Foster, though some sources believe it is named for the chaplain of the 29th Alabama Regiment.

The fort consisted of 8-foot compacted dirt walls, strengthened by cut trees. Inside the walls were four 12- pounder Napoleon smoothbore cannons, each operated by a crew of about10 artillerymen. The cannons were spaced about 12 -14 yards apart, and faced outward through embrasure openings in the walls. About 35 yards to each side of the cannon emplacements, in a 3-foot deep trench-line, were about 125 support troops from the 29^th Alabama.

Gen. Hood at Redoubt No. 4, exhorting the 29th Alabama to hold at all cost. “Darkest of all Decembers” painting by Rick Reeves

The unit was commanded by Capt. Charles Lumsden, a graduate of Virginia Military Institute and previously head of cadets at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa before the war. He had met with Gen. Hood when the general visited the Redoubt on horseback earlier in the morning. Lumsden was told to hold the hill at all cost.

The massive attack by the Union army on December 15, 1864, came wheeling around toward the Confederate positions from the northwest and arrived in the area of Lumsden’s Alabama Battery at Redoubt No. 4 around 10:30 a.m. In the area of a ridge to the west, at what is now Estes Road, the U.S. Army deployed six batteries of four cannons each, which began shelling Redoubt No. 4 with an overwhelming barrage. The 24 artillery pieces were accompanied by approximately 4000 dismounted cavalry troops. Kay said that the Union batteries dropped 2 – 3 tons of ordnance on the Redoubt during the 4 hour battle. The din of noise of the cannon fire exchange made it difficult to hear, and the smoke made it difficult to see.

Confederate forces were not only under-manned, but under-powered. Lumsden’s Napoleon cannons had a range of 600 – 800 yards. The Union field guns had rifled barrels which could fire Hotchkiss rifled shells 1600 yards, and once they were dialed in, were capable of hitting “an area the size of a car window“ at that range. In addition, Federal forces also had the advantage in small arms. Confederate soldiers were armed with Enfield muskets, which could be fired about 3 times per minute. The dismounted cavalry for the U.S. Army were firing 7- shot Spencer repeater carbines, which could fire 21 shots per minute.

Redoubt No. 4 had fallen by around 2:00 p.m. that afternoon, along with its nearby neighbor, Redoubt No. 5. Survivors had fled downhill to the east, to join up with the Confederate line parallel with Hillsboro Pike. The action on this high ground was witnessed by Gen. Stewart, who was watching from the house of Andrew Castleman on the far side of the Pike.

Kay told his audience the story of 17-year-old Alabamian Hylan Rosser, who was in Lumsden’s Battery with his two brothers. During the artillery siege, Pvt. Rosser’s head was blown from his body by an artillery shell. Later in the evening, when Capt. Lumsden was washing up, he pointed out to Sgt. James Maxwell that he had parts of Rosser’s brain in his beard.

For more information about this battle, visit the Redoubt No. 4 page on this website.

2022 – John Cashon, historian/author – “Paducah, KY in the Civil War”

December 15-16, 2020

BONT VIDEOS DESCRIBE RARE PARTS OF BATTLEFIELD IN COMMEMORATION OF 156TH ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE OF NASHVILLE

Members of the Battle of Nashville Trust will gather late Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 16, 2020, at Shy’s Hill in memory of the decisive Civil War battle, and in honor of its Union and Confederate combatants. The public is invited for this solemn ceremony, which includes the placement of a commemorative wreath at the top of the Hill.

On December 13, 2020, BONT President Jim Kay and Civil War writer John Banks, who is on the BONT board, traveled around Nashville to some of the little-known nooks and crannies of the battlefield and described these rarely-seen historic locations.

BATTLE ANNIVERSARY WEEK: Battle of Nashville Trust president Jim Kay talks about the famous Pointe Coupee Confederate battery site, and one of the few remaining Witness Trees, which were in the furious action of Dec. 16, 1864.

BATTLE ANNIVERSARY WEEK: Battle of Nashville Trust president Jim Kay talks about the capture of Confederate Col. Ed Rucker near Granny White Pike as Hood’s Army retreated in the afternoon and evening of Dec. 16, 1864.

BATTLE ANNIVERSARY WEEK: Battle of Nashville Trust president Jim Kay describes events at the site of Union cavalry officer James Wilson’s headquarters onn Granny White Pike.

BATTLE ANNIVERSARY WEEK: Battle of Nashville Trust president Jim Kay explains the fateful charge of Minnesotans up the slope of Shy’s Hill on Dec. 16, 1864, standing as he speaks in the exact perspective from which the well-known painting of the Shy’s Hill battle was painted by artist Howard Pyle.

March 8, 2020

Franklin Round Table To Discuss Carnton Eyewitness Account

New Orleans author and museum curator Joe Ricci will speak at the Franklin Round Table on March 8, 2020, about the letters of Presbyterian minister Thomas Markham’s account of the Battle of Franklin. For details, click HERE.

Thursday, January 30, 2020

BONPS ANNOUNCES ANNUAL MEETING AND RECEPTION AT KAY HOME

The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society cordially invites its members, guests, and prospective members to attend its Annual Meeting on Thursday, January 30, 2020, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The gathering will feature cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at the home of Jim and Elaine Kay at 4700 Leland Ln., Nashville, TN, where, incidentally, a Confederate battery under Maj. Gen. William W. Loring was positioned behind a stone wall marking Stewart’s line on December 16, 1864.

“Come meet our Board and see what we’re working on this year in our community to preserve history,“ said BONPS President Jim Kay.

Please RSVP at your earliest convenience to BONPS Vice President Ellen Duer McClanahan at edmcclanahan79@gmail.com.

Dress is casual, and due to tight parking, please consider arriving by Uber or similar ride if possible.

Monday, December 16, 2019

ANNUAL VIGIL ON SHY’S HILL TO COMMEMORATE 155th ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE OF NASHVILLE

At 4:00 p.m. on Monday, December 16, the 155th anniversary of the Battle of Nashville will again be observed by the annual walk up to the summit of Shy’s Hill, which was a deadly field of battle on a cold, wet day on December 16, 1864 as Union troops attacked Confederate lines late that afternoon.

The Board of the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society invites any and all who are interested in honoring those who fought in the battle, and especially those who engaged in the violent clash on the summit of Shy’s Hill on Dec. 16, 1864, to join us for this historic tradition.

“This has probably been happening since December of 1865,” according to Jim Kay, Battle historian and president of BONPS.

December 8, 2019

BONPS TO HOST WIDE-RANGING SEMINAR AT FT. NEGLEY

Once again, during the Civil War Show weekend in Franklin, The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society (BONPS) will hold a Civil War seminar at Fort Negley Visitors Center in Nashville, TN beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 8, 2019.

This seminar is free and open to all current members of local or national history groups, museums, etc. including Civil War Round-tables, BONPS, Sons of Union Veterans, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Historic Nashville, and local and national preservation groups. Non-members are welcome and can attend by joining BONPS and paying the membership fee ($20 individual, or $25 family) on this site, or at the door.

Please note: Seating is limited so you are requested to register as soon as possible by contacting the event coordinator, Ellen D. McClanahan (edmcclanahan79@gmail. com). A light lunch will be provided.

The topics and speakers are as follows:

1. “Col. Bill Shy, The Man And Myth”: James D. Kay, Jr., President of BONPS and well known historian and expert on the Battle of Nashville, will present this fascinating topic. Commander of the 20th Tenn. at Shy’s Hill, Mr. Kay will discuss this officer’s life, his death on the hill that bears his name, and the fascinating post mortem history of this man reaching into the late 1970’s and beyond. Jim Kay is a well known and distinguished Nashville attorney, mediator and arbitrator who began his fascination with the Civil War when he was a youth. Graduating from Auburn University in 1982 and obtaining a J.D. in 1985 at Washington & Lee University, Jim resides with his family on the actual battlefield in close proximity to a Confederate battery position on the 2nd day of the battle of Nashville. He has served as a contributor/researcher on multiple films and books including James Lee McDonough’s Nashville -The Western Confederacy’s Final Gamble (The University of Tennessee Press, 2004); and Dennis w. Belcher’s The 11th Missouri Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War (McFarland & Company, Inc., 2011); Jim was the Executive Producer of the film, The Life and Times of Ed Bearss, Road Films (2015). He has written the forward to The Cavalries in the Nashville Campaign by Dennis Belcher to be released in 2020. He is a frequent lecturer on early Nashville and preservation of the Nashville battlefield.

2. “Confederate Privateers; How A Tiny Irregular Navy Shaped The Entire War”: Kent Wright of Huntsville Alabama will discuss a little known topic and will address the most ignored questions of the greatest American conflict – why the war became so large so fast and last so long. Privateers, Jefferson Davis’ “militia of the seas”, shocked the entire world forcing John Bull and Uncle Sam to make instant decisions impacting every industrial nation and expanding the war into an international conflict. Kent will explore two swift proclamations by the warring governments – privateering and blockading. Ft. Sumter may have been a footnote to a minor internal rebellion but for its international expansion on the seas. Kent is a veteran of the nuclear navy and a mechanical engineering graduate of Iowa State University. In his presentations, he combines his technical experience in steam power with his passion for naval history. His perspective is not on only about warfare on the oceans, but upon all bodies of water, the rivers and bays in home waters and overseas as well as the impact by and upon foreign policy in the War for Southern Independence. Kent has, through years of research, uncovered many astonishing facts which may change your mind about Civil War naval history, national legitimacy issues and international policies

3. “War, Memory, and the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion”: Thomas R. Flagel is an associate professor of history at Columbia State Community College in Tennessee and is a prolific author. His latest work discussing the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion (The Kent State University Press, 2019) examines how individual veterans viewed the reunion, what motivated them to attend, how they acted and reacted once they arrived, and whether these veterans found what they were personally seeking. His book doesn’t concentrate on the speeches given at the event but the actual veterans and focuses on four veteran attendees who came to the reunion for different and very individual reasons. Tom has degrees from Loras College, Kansas State University, Creighton University, and holds a Doctorate from Middle Tennessee State University he has also studied at the University of Vienna. He has worked with various historic preservation groups including the Civil War Trust and the National Park Service. One of his works, The History Buff’s Guide to the Civil War (Cumberland House Publishing, An Imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc., 2003) is a must read. Above all else, Tom is a dynamic teacher!

4. “The Arms and Equipage of the Union Cavalry During the Tennessee Campaign”: Myers Brown, II, well-known local historian who presents on multiple historical periods including the Civil War and the War of 1812, will discuss his insights into the impact and behind-the-scene workings of the Union cavalry in Tennessee. The Union Cavalry played a crucial role in the Tennessee Campaign and on two successive days during the Battle of Nashville, turned the Confederate left flank. This talk will provide examples of how these men were armed and how their horses were equipped. Myers has had a previous affiliation with the Joseph A. Wheeler home in Alabama, the Tennessee State Museum (Curator of Extension Services) and other historical groups. He has lectured on various aspects of CW cavalry and operations and has presented his display of what a typical trooper would carry and utilize, from saddles, bits, horse furniture, and weapons to their uniforms. He is a published author who penned Tennessee’s Union Cavalrymen, and with the Tennessee State Museum, Images of America, Tennessee’s Confederates (Arcadia Publishing, South Carolina, 2011).

January 14, 2020

SHORT COURSE ON GEN. JOHN BELL HOOD TO BE PRESENTED DURING VANDERBILT ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM

Beginning January 14, 2020, the Vanderbilt adult learning program will be presenting a six-week course entitled “John Bell Hood‘s Tennessee Campaign.“

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) is Vanderbilt’s non-credit learning program designed to present the greater Nashville community with stimulating intellectual and cultural courses, programs and trips for adults over 50 of all educational backgrounds.

The six one-hour classes will be taught once a week from January 14 through February 18, 2020, at The Temple and will cost each participant $60. The class is being taught by Vanderbilt associate professor Robert B. Hulette.

The curriculum summary states:

“By 1864, the American Civil War had dragged on for three long and bloody years. While Federal forces were able to reverse some early Confederate victories, through the spring and early summer of that year the war was at a stalemate in both the east and the west with no end in sight. However, by the end of the summer, forces under Major General William Tecumseh Sherman began to make progress, finally claiming Atlanta in early September. Freed from the constraints of having to defend Atlanta against Sherman’s massive force, the Confederacy hoped to regroup under the recently appointed commander of the Army of Tennessee John Bell Hood. Hood looked to retake the offensive, attacking Sherman’s Lines of communication throughout northern Georgia, ultimately planning an invasion of Tennessee that would, he hoped, culminate with the recapture of the strategically critical city of Nashville and the return of Tennessee territory to the Confederate fold.”

For full details of of the program and to register, visit the OLLI website at https://www.vanderbilt.edu/olli/.

September 8, 2019

Kay To Speak on Col. Shy At Joint BONPS-Franklin CWRT Event

Jim Kay, president of the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society, will speak on September 8, 2019, at a joint BONPS-Franklin Civil War Round Table meeting to explore events in the life of Col. William M. Shy which occurred in both Nashville and Franklin.

The program will take place on Sunday, September 8, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. at Carnton’s Fleming Center.

Mr. Kay’s presentation, “The Short Life of Franklin Resident and Nashville Hero Colonel Bill Shy,“ will cover the fascinating life of the 26-year-old colonel of the 20th Tennessee Infantry Regiment who died in the Battle of Nashville at the top of what was then known as Compton Hill, and because of him, later came to be known as Shy’s Hill.

Historians have long been interested in Shy’s heroism atop the Hill on Dec. 16, 1864, the manner in which he died, and the later bizarre way in which his grave was robbed in 1977.

This event is co sponsored by BONPS and The Franklin Civil War Roundtable. All members, guests and friends are welcome to attend. There is no charge.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

BONPS PREPARES FOR PARK DAY AT SHY’S HILL

On Saturday, April 6, 2019, beginning at 10:00 a.m., BONPS will host the annual Park Day work session to clean up and fix up the Battle of Nashville battlefield site at Shy’s Hill.

Everyone and anyone interested in the preservation of historic sites is invited to attend the work session, which is sponsored annually and nationally by the American Battlefield Trust. The BONPS board requests any interested volunteers to meet at the trail head of Shy’s Hill on Park Day at 10:00 AM. Bottled water will be provided. Please feel free to bring any outdoor work tools such as hedge clippers, heavy rakes, bow saws, axes and shovels.

BONPS has been hosting these events at both Shy’s Hill and Redoubt No. 1 for many years. For more information about this national day of preservation, visit the American Battlefield Trust’s Park page HERE.

The Shy’s Hill Civil War site is located on Benton Smith Rd., about 100 yards south of Harding Place in South Nashville.

December 18, 2018

NASHVILLE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE NEWS LETTER

The NCWRT, at its meeting at Ft. Negley in Nashville on December 18, 2018, will present Stewart County historian and Land Between The Lakes expert Susan Witzofsky to discuss the Civil War in Stewart County, home of Forts Henry and Donelson. For details, click on the Nashville CWRT December 2018.

Sunday, December 2, 2018

BONPS TO HOST SYMPOSIUM ON VARIED TOPICS, INCLUDING HOOD AND ATLANTA

On Sunday, December 2, 2018, the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society in conjunction with Fort Negley will host a one-day symposium in the Visitor Center auditorium during which four outstanding speakers will explore numerous interesting topics, ranging from Hood’s decisions after Atlanta to Civil War medicine.

The Symposium is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is free to BONPS members whose dues are current. Members can pay their $20.00 individual or $25.00 family annual dues in advance (payment is easy; just click HERE , or they can pay at the door. BONPS is encouraging its interested members to pay their annual dues for 2019 ASAP to help BONPS continue to preserve portions of the Battle of Nashville battlefield.

Admission is also free to members of three other local Civil War groups — Friends of Fort Negley, Nashville Civil War Round Table, and Franklin Civil War Round Table.

The list of speakers is well-known to anyone with a serious interest in Civil War history :

GREG BIGGS: Greg is a well-known historian and Civil War flag expert, who is heavily involved in the Clarksville and Nashville Civil War Roundtables. He will speak on the status and condition of both armies as Atlanta is evacuated and Hood starts what will be the Tennessee campaign. Greg is a wonderful speaker who will hold your attention;

STEVE DAVIS: An author and historian who lives in the Atlanta area, Steve will present his topic “The Bonnie Blue Flop”. This presentation will be centered on the official records and communications, and lack thereof, between Hood, Beauregard, Richmond, and others as Hood evacuates Atlanta and begins to formulate his Tennessee campaign. Symposium organizer Philip Duer noted that “This is a great presentation, one you won’t want to miss as it really cements the sequence of events of the beginning of the campaign and exposes the disjointed command of the Confederate Army.”

TOM FLAGEL: A Columbia State Community College professor and author of many Civil War books, Tom will speak on the inability of the population in the ever shrinking Confederacy to obtain battlefront news from Southern newspapers and periodicals. “Anyone who has heard him speak will tell you he is a dynamic presenter. I have heard this presentation and it is a good one,” Duer said.

DR. JIM ATKINSON: A BONPS board member for many years and a Vanderbilt physician practicing and teaching in the pathology department, Jim will speak on the state of Civil War battlefield medicine during and at the end of the war. This should be a very informative presentation and sure to dispel some myths.

Donuts and coffee will be available in the morning and a light snack at lunchtime. BONPS members are encouraged to make sure that their membership is up to date. Seating is limited so please email your reservation to Ellen Duer McClanahan. Her email is as follows:

edmcclanahan79@gmail.com

August 12, 2018

Franklin Round Table To Present Discussion of Embalming During Time of the Civil War

On August 12, 2018, The Franklin Civil War Round Table will present an in-depth look at the huge challenge of processing the dead during the Civil War. The event begins Sunday, August 12 at 3:00 p.m. at the Fleming Center at Carnton Plantation in Franklin.

The public is invited. For further information email gregwade55@yahoo.com or go to https://mailchi.mp/1160adb9ddb7/franklin-round-table-museum-tour-1439369?e=322c6df085 .

At the beginning of the Civil War, there was no preparation for what would happen with those who died. After all, the war was supposed to be short and no one would be killed. Almost 700,000 deaths later, the process of caring for the dead became a little-studied but huge part of the Civil War story

Dr. Todd Van Beck will present this unique program dedicated to the exploration of the issue of caring for the dead and, hence, the caring for the living during the War. Van Beck has been in the funeral service, bereavement care, and church lay ministry for almost 50 years. He is the author of hundreds of articles and books and a speaker on a wide variety of topics ranging from funeral customs to counseling and the psychology of grief.

He has spoken in Europe, New Zealand and many other parts of the world. He obtained his Bachelors of Arts Degree from Mount Mercy University, a Masters Degree from Mount Saint Mary’s and an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service. He has been recognized by many professional organizations for his work in the art and science of embalming. He is currently the Director of Continuing Education Studies at the John A. Gupton College in Nashville.

June 19, 2018

Roundtable Explores Civil War Action On the Cumberland Plateau

The Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will discuss the topic “The Civil War On The Cumberland Plateau” at its next meeting on June 19, 2018, held at the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and is always open to the public.

The speaker, Dr. Aaron Astor, is Associate Professor of History at Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee. He is the author of two books, Rebels on the Border: Civil War, Emancipation and the Reconstruction of Kentucky and Missouri, 1860-1872, published in 2012 and The Civil War Along Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau released in May 2015.

He has also written 11 articles for the award winning New York Times Disunion series, addressing such topics as guerrilla warfare, battles and campaigns in the Western Theater, popular politics, emancipation and race, and regional identity in the Appalachian South. He is currently working on a book project that explores the 1860 Presidential election as a grassroots phenomenon from the perspective of four distinct American communities.

At Maryville College, Dr. Astor teaches a variety of courses on United States history, from Colonial America to the present. He also participates in numerous historic preservation groups across Tennessee, including serving on the Board of the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association and the East Tennessee Civil War Alliance.

According to the NCWR, Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau played host to some of the most dramatic military maneuvering of the Civil War. Beginning east of Nashville and ending near Knoxville and straddling the entire state of Tennessee, the formidable tableland proved to be a maze of topographical pitfalls and a morass of divided loyalties.

As Federal forces sought to capitalize on the capture of Nashville, they moved into a region split by the most vicious guerrilla warfare outside Missouri, including the colorful and intensely violent rivalry between Confederate Champ Ferguson and Unionist “Tinker” Dave Beaty. The bitter conflict affected thousands of ordinary men and women struggling to survive in the face of a remorseless war of attrition, and its legacy continues to be felt today.

For more information about programs, dues and upcoming events, visit the NCWRT website at https://nashvillecivilwarroundtable.wordpress.com/, and or its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NCWRT/.

FUTURE PROGRAMS:

July 2018 – Dr. Brian Wills, author/historian – “Nathan Bedford Forrest and Fort Pillow”

August 2018 – Dr. Nancy McEntee, author/historian – “Haversacks, Hardtack, and Unserviceable Mules; the Civil War Journey of a Union Quartermaster in Tennessee”

September 2018 – Kent Wright, historian/author – “The Red River Campaign”

March 26, 2018

Forest Hills History Series: “Shy’s Hill: The Last Hope of the Confederacy”

The second in the Forest Hills History lecture series features nationally known historian Thomas Y. Cartwright speaking on “Shy’s Hill: The Last Hope of the Confederacy, ” on Monday, March 26, at 5:30 p.m. at Forest Hills City Hall.

“This event is a dynamic way to share our heritage with our neighborhoods and we’re honored to have Thomas Cartwright weave his stories about the peak of our community at Shy’s Hill, which played a pivotal role in the Battle of Nashville,” said Linda Kartoz-Doochin, chair of the Cultural and Natural Resources Committee.

“We hope to inspire our residents to learn more about where we live and the people who lived here before us.”

Shy’s Hill is located off Harding Place west of Granny White Pike and was the site for the decisive encounter of the Battle of Nashville December 16, 1864. A Federal assault on top of the hill broke the Confederate line. Col. W.M. Shy was killed and Gen. T.B. Smith was captured. The Confederates retreated over the Overton Hills to Franklin Pike.

In 2005, The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society blazed an access trail up the east slope which makes the climb easier for visitors.

The meeting is free and open to the public at Forest Hills City Hall, 6300 Hillsboro Pike in Nashville. Registration is not required but encouraged.

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Kay To Tell About “Granny White’s Tavern And Other Neighborhood Folklore”

Nashville and Civil War historian Jim Kay will present a lecture on some of the most interesting and little-known stories about Nashville’s past, including a look at the legendary Lucinda “Granny” White, at the City of Forest Hills’ lecture series beginning Nov. 2, 2017.

The Forest Hills “Cultural and Natural Resources Committee” is hosting the lecture series to educate and entertain community residents about neighborhood history. Jim Kay, a former president and current board member of BONPS, will present the first lecture entitled “Granny White’s Tavern and Other Neighborhood Folklore.”

The program, which if free to the public, will take place at the Forest Hills City Hall at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2. Registration is not required but encouraged. For more information, call 615-372-8677.

“This event is a terrific way to educate community members about the heritage of our neighborhoods and Lucinda “Granny” White, a pioneer and entrepreneur is an exciting character to kick off our lecture series,” said Linda Kartoz-Doochin, committee co-chair. “We hope to inspire our residents to learn more about where we live and the people who lived here before us.”

Kay will share many stories of Granny White including details about her tavern which served as the only inn between Franklin and Nashville, where she entertained guests like Andrew Jackson. She also had a passion for making brandy. Kay refers to her as “the original ‘Desperate Housewife’.”

Jim Kay is a native Nashvillian and serves as managing partner at the law firm Kay Griffin Enkema & Colbert. He is a prominent local historian who has served as president of the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society, is a member of the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, has served on the Travellers Rest Board of Directors, currently serves as president of Richland Country Club, and is an avid historian with a passion for local history and folklore.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Nashville Round Table Meeting To Focus of Cumberland River

The October meeting of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 17, 2017, at Fort Negley Visitors Center.

The speaker will be Greg Biggs of the CWRT on the topic: “The Cumberland River: Avenue for Middle Tennessee and the Civil War.”

The Nashville CWRT meets on the third Tuesday of each month at Ft. Negley. For a complete report on recent news and more details about upcoming programing, clear on the following link for the Nashville CWRT October newsletter 2017

Sunday, October 8, 2017

COACH DOOLEY DISCUSSES NEW BOOK IN TRAVELLERS REST EVENT

The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society co-sponsored a presentation by Civil War Trust Board Member, author and preservationist Vince Dooley as its guest speaker on Sunday, October 8, 2017.

Coach Dooley spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of 85, concentrating on his newest book, The Legion’s Fighting Bulldog, the Story of Lt. Colonel William Delony, a University of Georgia graduate who was in Cobb’s Georgia Legion Cavalry

The event took at Travellers Rest banquet facility located at 636 Farrell Parkway in Nashville, located just off Franklin Road.

BONPS partnered with the Friends of Fort Negley, Travellers Rest and The Franklin Civil War Round Table to bring Coach Dooley back to Nashville for the presentation.

“Coach” Vincent Dooley, in addition to his stellar career in collegiate athletics and honoree of numerous community awards, is also a passionate Civil War scholar and devotes much of his time in serving on the Board of the Civil War Preservation Trust.

Above: Clay Bailey, Gary Burke and Jim Kay attend Dooley event at Travellers Rest

During his career, Dooley was head football coach (1964 -1988) and athletic director (1979 – 2004) at the University of Georgia. During that 25-year coaching career, he compiled a 201-77-10 record, won six SEC titles, and the 1980 national championship.

Jim Kay with Coach Dooley

Dooley was inducted in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1978 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994. He received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, presented by the American Football Coaches Association in 2001.

Other awards and honors include the Carl Maddox Sport Management Award; induction into UGA’s Circle of Honor; the Homer Rice Award, the highest honor given by the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association; the Star of the South by Irish America magazine; and induction into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame. .

Dooley won the 2011 Georgia Trustee, given by the Georgia Historical Society, in conjunction with the Governor of Georgia, to individuals whose accomplishments and community service reflect the ideals of the founding body of Trustees, which governed the Georgia colony from 1732 to 1752.

Beginning September 5, 2017

THS And Belmont Announce September 2017 Lecture Series

On September 5, 2017, The Tennessee Historical Society & Belmont Mansion will kick off the first program in a special series on Adelicia Acklen and her pleasure palace, Belmont. Programs will take place in the Grand Salon of the historic mansion, located at 1700 Acklen Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee.

Tickets are free. Reservations can be made by calling the THS at 615-741-8934 or emailing membership@tennesseehistory.org, or visit the new THS website at www.tennesseehistory.org.

September 10, 2017

FOFN TO DISCUSS FORT NEGLEY PARK CONTROVERSY AT FRANKLIN ROUND TABLE

The Friends of Fort Negley (FOFN) will presenting a special informative program at the September Franklin Civil War Round Table concerning the future of the Fort Negley complex.

The presentation will be held at the Hiram Masonic Lodge at 115 2nd Ave South, Franklin on Sunday, September 10, 2017, beginning at 3:00 p.m. The public is invited. For more information contact gregwade55@yahoo.com.

Above: Ft. Negley Park: aerial view in 1940s, before construction of Greer Stadium. Click on photo twice for super-zoom view.

Since the relocation of the Nashville Sounds from their Greer Stadium location, there has been much speculation about the future of the site. Because the baseball stadium literally adjoined the walls of Fort Negley, Civil War historians and green space advocates have lobbied for the property to be made part of the Fort Negley grounds, as it was during the Civil War.

Not only was this structure a critical part of the extensive works protecting the city during its federal occupation, it was constructed in large part by “impressed” black labor. Many of these former slaves lost their lives during the fort’s erection and are interred at the nearby Nashville National Cemetery. On this important ground that has great significance to Nashville’s Civil War and post war history, there is now a massive proposed commercial development. It is also the last major piece of acreage in Davidson County that can still be preserved with such historical ties from that era. The proposed construction is supported by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry.

The Friends of Fort Negley will be presenting the full story and the charge by citizens to turn back the suggested retail, housing and commercial complex at the old Greer Stadium location.

September 16, 2017

LOTZ HOUSE SPONSORS DOUBLE SYMPOSIUM

The Lotz House will host a two-part symposium on September 16, 2017, on two aspects of the Battle of Franklin and the aftermath of the Battle of Nashville.

The two symposium topics are “The Forgotten Battle of Franklin – Dec. 17, 1864” and “10,000 Secrets Unearthed.” Speakers will include historian Thomas Cartwright, Bryan Lane, Andy Willoughby, and Robert Blythe. Also, there will be a discussion and announcement of one of the largest caches of Confederate bullets ever unearthed in Middle Tennessee.

The event will be held at Nashville-Franklin Lodge # 72, BPOE and lunches will be provided by Puckett’s Gro. & Restaurant. The cost is $50 per person and reservations can be made by contacting the Lotz House at 615-790-7190 or emailing Laura Westbrook at laura@lotzhouse.com . Seating is limited and reservations are required.

May 11, 2017 (Tour is full as of 4/26/17)

BONPS TO CONDUCT FREE TOUR OF STONE WALL BATTLE SITE

The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society and its former president and historian, Jim Kay, will conduct a free one-hour walking tour entitled “Historic Kirkman Lane” on Thursday, May 11, 2017, to explore an area and events occurring there that were critical to the outcome of the Battle of Nashville.

Jim Kay, who lives in the area, will lead the tour which will start at the corner of Stonewall and Kirkman Lane at 5:00 p.m. The tour will include information on the history of the property, the stone wall, Kirkman Lane, the assault on the Confederate position at the wall, the capture of the Louisiana Pointe Coupee battery and Congressional Medals of Honor awarded to individuals for their bravery at the wall as well as the recognition of the wall on the National Register of Historic Places.

This tour is free and open to members of The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society, members of the Lealand Plantation Garden Club and guests and residents of Stonewall Drive.

Please RSVP to Jim.kay@kaygriffin.com

Spring 2017

TENNESSEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY BEGINS LECTURES SERIES

The Tennessee Historical Society Spring Lecture series will kick off on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, with “Nashville’s Streetcars And Interurban Railways,” presented by Ralcon Wagner.

All programs will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Fort Negley Visitor Center, located at 1100 Fort Negley Boulevard, Nashville 37203.

For a complete listing and description of the upcoming events, see http://www.tennesseehistory.org/events/ .

Friday – Sunday December 9, 10, 11, 2016

FT. NEGLEY HOSTS EVENTS COMMEMORATING BATTLE OF NASHVILLE 152nd ANNIVERSARY

Historic Ft. Negley in downtown Nashville will be the site of one of the events commemorating the 152nd anniversary of the Battle of Nashville, which occurred on December 15-16, 1864.

The full list of events over the three-day rememberance will include:

Small Arms Demonstrations
Artillery Demonstrations
Signal Corps Demonstrations
Meet General George Thomas, President Lincoln, USCTs and Union Soldiers
Enjoy Scholarly Presentations in the Theater

All details will be updated soon. Click HERE for details or visit the Ft. Negley website for additional information about the Fort’s history and programs, all of which are supported by The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society.

Thursday, October 13, 2016, 6:30 p.m.

TRAVELLERS REST EVENT TO INTRODUCE “BATTLEFIELD BOURBON” AND GREAT LINE-UP OF SPEAKERS

Note: Tickets Now Available. Reservations required on or before October 7, 2016

The Battle Of Nashville Preservation Society will sponsor a special “Battlefield Bourbon Dinner” to benefit historic Travellers Rest Plantation on October 13, 2016, offering a unique and varied evening of entertainment for anyone interested in the history of the Battle of Nashville.
The event, to be held at Travellers Rest beginning at 6:30 p.m, will introduce a unique “Battlefield Bourbon” made from water sourced from the Battle of Nashville battlefields, as well as dinner catered by Puckett’s and a stellar group of authors and speakers.

What is “Battlefield Bourbon?” See below.

Speakers, itinerary and ticket prices are detailed below in the flyer. The 6:30 p.m. cocktail hour, featuring Battlefield Bourbon, will be followed by a 7:15 p.m. dinner catered by Puckett’s restaurant. The 8:00 p.m. program will feature Franklin novelist Robert Hicks, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow of the South and A Separate Country, who will be signing copies of his newly-published book, “The Orphan Mother.” His role in the development of “Battlefield Bourbon” is explained below; he will signing those as well.

In addition, another New York Times best-selling author, James Lee McDonough, will be on hand to sign copies of the latest in his long list of Civil War works of nonfiction, “William Tecumseh Sherman: In The Service Of My Country: A Life.”

BONPS historian Jim Kay will round out the speakers with comments regarding the Battle of Nashville.

What is “Battlefield Bourbon”?

In the Fall of 2014, Robert Hicks, battlefield preservationist and New York Times bestselling author, launched “Battlefield Bourbon,” a very small batch bourbon distilled, aged and hand-bottled in Tennessee. The sale of the bourbon benefited Civil War battlefield reclamation and preservation.

Hicks’ idea was to make limited batches of bourbon from the water originating from actual battlefields, including springs and other comparable sources. By using water from each battlefield, he was able to provide an opportunity to actually taste part of this hallowed ground.

In 2014, the first very small batch featured the Battle of Franklin which occurred in 1864. Therefore, only 1864 bottles were distilled and the batch sold out in 10 days.

In 2015 the bourbon featured the Battle of Shiloh and these 1864 bottles sold out in less than 2 weeks.

This fall the batch of 1864 bottles will feature the Battle of Nashville and the water used to make the bourbon will be sourced from a Nashville battlefield. Robert Hicks will personally sign and number each bottle, as this will be treated no differently from any other limited edition in any other medium of the fine arts.

Battlefield Bourbon is being released this fall exclusively at spirits retailers and restaurants in Middle Tennessee. This private event at Travellers Rest provides guests an opportunity to purchase the bourbon and $10 from every bottle sold will benefit the historic property and another portion will benefit Civil War battlefield reclamation and preservation.

“Something important happened on the hallowed ground of Civil War battlefields that should never be forgotten, Hicks said. “Whether it was ‘home’ or ‘country,’ ‘honor’ or ‘union,’ that drove them forward, they fought and suffered, even unto death, for their cause. As a lover of fine bourbon, I wondered if there was a way to offer fine, very small batch bourbon and to raise funds for the battlefield reclamation. May we raise a glass in honor of those who came before us, Lest We Forget.”

These words are on printed on the bottle along with “Lest We Forget” engraved into the wooden stopper cap of the 750 ml grandeur bottle.

For more information visit www.battlefield-bourbon.com.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

STATEWIDE TOUR FOR NEW MUSEUM STOPS IN NASHVILLE

The public is invited to a free presentation to preview the plans for the new Tennessee State Museum.

The event will take place on Wednesday, April 27, at 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the Nashville State Community College, Student Services Center, Room 118, located at 120 White Bridge Road in Nashville.

Governor Haslam and the Tennessee General Assembly announced the launch of the new state museum in April of 2015. The new facility will be part museum, part virtual reality experience, and part time machine. It will serve as a hub to virtually connect local schools and museums to exciting programming and events.

The event is open to the public and will feature the internationally acclaimed design team for a discussion of the museum’s vision and a showcase of the early plans.

Wednesday May 4, 2016

Author Ridley Wills To Discuss Battlefields Roads

As part of the Tennessee Historical Society’s Spring Lecture Series, noted Nashville historian and author Ridley Wills is scheduled to speak on May 4, 2016, on his latest project, “Nashville Pikes: 150 Years along Franklin Pike and Granny White Pike.”

Wills is tracing the history of the major pikes that lead from Nashville to surrounding regions. His stories bring the local history of Nashville to vibrant life, with profiles of persons and landmarks both well-known and obscure. He will share the first phase of his study, an examination of the Franklin and Granny White pikes. Copies of the book will be available at the program.

The lecture is part of the Tennessee Historical Society’s spring membership programs from March 23 through May 25, 2016. The programs will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at the Fort Negley Visitor Center, 1100 Fort Negley Boulevard, Nashville, 37203.

For more information, visit the Tennessee Historical Society website. Reservations for the programs may be made by emailing the THS at membership@tennesseehistory.org or by calling 615-741-8934.

January 10, 2016

AUTHOR EXPLORES CONFEDERATE RETREAT FROM NASHVILLE

The fascinating and little-known story of the desperate fighting through the hills between Nashville and Franklin during the fateful hours immediately following the Battle of Nashville will be explored by author Joe Johnston at the January 10 meeting of the Franklin Civil War Round Table.

The free event, which is open to the public, begins at 3:00 PM at Carnton Plantation’s Fleming Center located adjacent to the Carnton mansion in Franklin, TN.

Author and historian Joe Johnston is a regular contributor to many history related publications including America’s Civil War, the Wild West and U.S. Naval History.

His topic for the Round Table, entitled “Order out of Chaos: Retreat Through the Gap at Nashville,” explores the second day of the Battle of Nashville when Confederate troops were overrun on December 16, 1864, from their positions south of Nashville. With the Confederate troops stretched across a line too long to hold between Peach Orchard Hill and Shy’s Hill, the late afternoon Federal attack sent them into a chaotic, running retreat south toward Brentwood and Franklin. While the main body withdrew down Franklin Pike, a little known drama was unfolding among the men of the Confederate left flank, who had been cut off by the Union attack.

There is little in the Official Records about the retreat or about the actions of an Arkansas brigadier who, with a cool head, led a textbook fighting retreat through a gap in the Brentwood Hills that saved thousands of Confederate lives.

Save on Tickets

BATTLE OF NASHVILLE HISTORIC SITES TICKET

The “value ticket” provides a cost-saving and convenient way of visiting Nashville’s three premier antebellum estates with profound Civil War significance – Belle Meade Mansion, Belmont Mansion and Travellers Rest Plantation & Museum.

The three historic destinations, including the homes, grounds and museums, can now be seen with a single Battle of Nashville Historic Site Tour ticket for only $40.00 per person. [Website note: This ticket program is no longer available.]

There is no time limit as to when each of the historic places must be visited, making sure each ticket holder has a full opportunity to experience each of these historic sites.

The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society supports and works closely with each of these historic institutions, and a small portion of each ticket purchase is earmarked for BONPS to help us continue preserving and maintaining the battlefield sites in Nashville. The grounds secured for posterity by BONPS, including such important landmarks as Shy’s Hill and Confederate Redoubt No. 1, are open to the public without charge.

BONPS April 2015 Newsletter

BONPS November 2014 Newsletter.

Nashville Scene Blogger Discovers the Battlefield

“Lipscomb’s Civil War Tour Suggests Something for Nashville’s Future”

Posted By Betsy Phillips on Wed, Oct 22, 2014

NOTE: Betsy Phillips posted this article in The Nashville Scene’s “Pith In The Wind” blog on October 22, 2014. In it, she speaks of her discovery of the importance of the Battle of Nashville, its impact on the city, and the influence of Lipscomb’s Sesquicentennial program.

In general, I find the Civil War to be tedious, boring, and sad. It’s not my favorite historical era — give me the weirdos of Jacksonian America or the ghost-lovers of the Victorian age — but it’s such a big part of Nashville’s history that I try not to completely ignore it.

So, when I saw that Lipscomb University was doing free Battle of Nashville tours this month, I signed myself up for one but didn’t rope anyone else into going. After all, it was doomed to be tedious, boring, and sad.

Nashville, I am a fool! It was fantastic. I apologize to everyone I didn’t try to talk into going with me.

David Currey, a historian and documentary filmmaker, guided us around much of the battlefield for the Battle of Nashville and regaled us for three hours about the significance of the battle. And I have to say, going to these places—Fort Negley, Granbury’s lunette, the redoubts, Shy’s Hill, Traveller’s Rest—and driving through the parts of town that contained front lines and paths of retreat, it makes a huge difference when you’re trying to understand the Battle.

Sure, I could tell you that Fort Negley had guns that could shoot over three miles, but it’s not quite as meaningful as standing in a Confederate fortification, just out of range of those guns. And, sure, a lot of history buffs lament that there is no preserved battlefield, but I found it a lot easier to imagine the logistics of how things were laid out when Currey explained that the Confederate western line was White Bridge Road, a road I travel frequently, than I would have if he’d just said “Way over there in that grassy area where there are some monuments.”

I want to give a lot of credit to the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society, who has done a superhuman job of filling a real need in the community. They’ve not only preserved stuff that would have otherwise been lost, but they’ve put together maps and self-guided driving tours and, hell, if you want an expert-guided tour and can afford it, they’ll put a dude in your car and he’ll tell you everything you want to know.

But there’s something to be said for being able to get on a bus and soaking in wisdom while someone else drives. The quality of the Lipscomb tour, to me, suggests that we, as a city and as a tourist destination, are missing out by not having a way to regularly put people on a bus and drive them out to significant places and show them what’s what. ( Grayline offers a “Nashville” Nashville tour, but not a Battle of Nashville tour.)

It’s not just an important part of our history, but, I thought Currey made a convincing show of how we’re still living in a landscape deeply transformed by the battle, if only we knew how to recognize it. We need some way to learn.

In that spirit, Lipscomb is doing a really kick-ass job of providing programing this fall for the public. I’m especially looking forward to November 15, when they’re going to have James McPherson, Joseph Glatthaar, and John Baker in for a symposium, “The African-American Experience in the Civil War Era.” And, during during the tour, they hyped the upcoming Sesquicentennial events on Saturday, December 13, now with a “city-wide progressive cannonade.” I’m not sure what that is, but it sounds awesome. And loud.

So, long story short. No, we don’t have enough cool Civil War stuff normally, but this autumn, we do, so get out there and soak it all in.

Starting August 2, 2014 in Franklin

“Battle Scarred” Exhibit Opens At Carnton

Battle Scarred, an exhibition commemorating the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Franklin, opened on August 2 under the sponsorship of The Battle of Franklin Trust. This special showcase will reside at Carnton Plantation for public viewing until April 26, 2015, marking another significant anniversary: the day Confederate Gen. J. E. Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee.

Though the exhibit features the Battle of Franklin which preceded the Battle of Nashville by two weeks, the exhibit contains many items specifically relevant to the Nashville conflict and overall provides a unique look at Hood’s 1864 campaign in Tennessee. BONPS President John Allyn has called it a “must see” exhibit.

Above: A New York Herald issue from December 11, 1864 talking about the two armies meeting in Nashville & Hood’s plan to attack

Battle Scarred is a chronologically organized experience that begins in 1860 and continues through the tragic events of November 30, 1864. Covering more than 1,600 square feet, this display captures the ultimate cost of war and the importance of the Battle of Franklin as part of our national heritage. Thoughtful interpretation of eyewitness accounts guided the design, which incorporates graphics, light, sound and more than 100 artifacts.

Highlights of the exhibition include a variety of never before displayed items and enlistment cards for each visitor outlining the military service of a soldier involved in the Battle of Franklin. The enlistment cards are intended to help participants personalize the ramifications of such a battle, and the fate of each soldier will be revealed.

Admission is $10 per adult. Tickets can be purchased on-site and do not include a tour of Carnton Plantation. The exhibit will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information about The Battle of Franklin Trust, visit www.BattleofFranklinTrust.org, and the special section on Battle Scarred.

Pictured below from the exhibit is the Cooper Frock Coat: Worn by 1st Lt. James L.Cooper, 20th Tennessee Infantry at Franklin & Nashville. He lived in Nashville before and after the war (also, he was the son of Washington Bogart Cooper, the portrait artist who is quite well known in Middle Tennessee).

New DVD Produced by Nashvillians

American Journey: The Life and Times of Ed Bearss

The new documentary film featuring Ed Bearss, a man often called a “living national treasure,” makes its East Coast debut in a Smithsonian screening on Friday, June 6, 2014. The film was produced and directed by Nashville’s David Currey and former BONPS president and board member Jim Kay was executive producer. For more information, visit the Smithsonian Associates website.

The DVD may be purchased directly from the BONPS Store on this website and is also available from Road Films (see flyer above).

The Smithsonian Associates notes:

“From his childhood on a cattle ranch in Montana to his Marine Corps days in WWII through his career as chief historian for the National Park Service, 90-year-old Bearss has lived a colorful life. But to Smithsonian Associates audiences, he is best known as the indefatigable Civil War tour guide and champion of battlefield preservation, a one-of-a-kind figure with a booming voice, extraordinary knowledge, and seemingly boundless energy. Bearss and Currey answer questions after the film.”

See the Battlefield from the Air

Music City BiPlane Tours is providing tours from the air of the prominent landmarks of the battles of Franklin and Nashville. The bi-plane route follows Hood’s advance northward from Winstead Hill through Franklin, and visits the major sites of the Battle of Nashville before ending above Ft. Negley and the State Capitol. For details, see this brochure: