Last night I had two riders from Idaho who asked me about history in Nashville. Nashville offers a tremendous amount of history from early founding in 1779 at Fort Nashboro, to Civil War, Music, food, culture, and many more. I mentioned to this individual about Fort Negley.
In 1862 after the Confederacy surrender to the Union army it was determined that the city of Nashville was a key with river access to the Cumberland and an area that sat between both western and eastern Amphitheater of the American Civil War. Johnson was appointed by Lincoln as mayor of the city and with this realization that Nashville might eventually be under attack he turned his trust to General Buell for a defensive establishment for the city of Nashville.
General Buell immediately began construction on Fort Negley and a defensive barrier around Nashville. Over the course of 2 years the Fort would be built and eventual preparation for an attack on the city from the Confederacy. In November of 1864 the battle of Franklin occurred which was the back door to Nashville. After the loss at the Battle of Franklin the Confederacy turned its efforts on Nashville.
The battle of Nashville occurred on December 15th and 16th of 1864. The army of Tennessee advanced on the city on the morning of and heavy fighting occurred between both sides. Despite being under matched with only 22,000 men facing the Union army of over 55,000 General Hood tried all efforts to counter the strength of General Thomas army. The attack by the Union army on General Hoods army were devastating. The Fort itself was an advantage because the Union could see where the Confederacy had established itself.
In the end this would be a Union victory with heavy losses by both sides. The Confederacy lost over 6000 casualties while the Union only loss half that amount. This was the eventual end to large battles in the western Amphitheater of battles during the American Civil War. This would also lead to the March to the sea that lead to losses by the Confederacy from Tennessee to Georgia and eventually the final surrender.
The Fort itself is open to the public and offers a great hiking area around it. Great views of the city are also there. You can reminisce about the history of the city and everything that this particular area has to offer. The Fort offers a self guided walking tour with a visitor center. This is definitely a stop you'll want to add especially if you're a history buff. #ridingwithkurt
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