Battles in Tennessee During the Civil War
Tennessee was a vital state for the Union to take and for the Confederates to hold. Lincoln himself described it as the "keystone of the Southern arch." It held large amounts of the South's manufacturing capabilities, food supply, and its rivers linked the east and the west. The Union and the Confederacy fought three of the Civil War's bloodiest battles in Tennessee; the Battle of Stones River, the Battle of Shiloh, and the Battle of Fort Donelson.
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the Battle of Fort Donelson
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The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought February 11 through February 16, 1862. Grant commanded the Union land forces, while Foote commanded the river fleet. The Confederates had four generals; Generals Floyd, Pillow, Buckner and Johnson. Initially, the river fleet bombarded the fort, but an artillery duel forced the fleet to retreat. The Union assault was pushed back by February 15, but command confusion on the Confederate side caused the Confederates to fall back. Grant capitalized on this and counterattacked. Floyd and Pillow turned over command to Buckner and fled to Nashville, while Bedford retreated across the Lick Creek. Buckner asked Grant for surrender terms, to which Grant replied, "No terms except for an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted." The battle saw 17,398 casualties, secured Union control over Kentucky, and opened the door to Tennessee.
The Battle of Shiloh
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The Battle of Shiloh occurred on April 6 and 7, 1862, near Shiloh church. Grant and Sherman led the Union troops, while Johnston and Beauregard led the Confederate forces. Johnston's forces hit the Union forces during breakfast on April 6. Johnston and Beauregard committed all six of their divisions and the battlefront stretched six miles from the Tennessee River to Owl Creek. Despite achieving the advantage of surprise, the Confederates failed to take the Union position. More damaging, a bullet pierced an artery in Johnston's leg and he died before realizing he was wounded. An attack by the Union on the morning of April 7 surprised the Southerners, who thought the Federal forces too damaged to fight. Shiloh was the first large scale battle in the war, with 20,000 killed and wounded. According to James McPherson, "Shiloh launched the country onto the floodtide of total war."
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The Battle of Stones River
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The Battle of Stones River began on December 31, 1862. This battle was led by Bragg for the Confederate forces and Rosecrans for the Union. After assaulting the Union line for several days, Bragg's forces fell back on January 3, 1863. The battle saw 24,000 casualties, but the Union victory helped stave off political attacks against Lincoln and gave the Union control of central Tennessee. Bragg's retreat caused many of his officers to turn against him and petition for his removal. After much political bickering, the Confederate high command retained Bragg as the commander.
Aftermath
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The battles in Tennessee saw the rise of General Grant and the beginnings of victory for the Union. The National Park Service maintains many of the battlefields for those interested in not only learning more about the battles, but also actually seeing the battlefields for themselves.
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