Tennessee timeline
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Tennessee is the 16th State Admitted to the Union
Eight counties of western North Carolina (and now part of Tennessee) broke off from that state in the late 1780s and formed the abortive State of... Read more
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Slavery Debate Labors on at Nashville Convention
The Nashville Convention was a political meeting held in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 3 – 11, 1850. Delegates from nine slave holding states met... Read more
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Tennessee Secedes From The Union
Tennesseans voted in favor of secession by a large majority—102,172 to 47,238—on June 8, 1861. In the mountainous eastern part of the state,... Read more
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Battle of Fort Henry Opens Tennessee River to Union Control
The Battle of Fort Henry was fought on February 6, 1862, in western Tennessee, during the American Civil War. It was the first important victory... Read more
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Battle of Fort Donelson - Initial Action
Other Names: None Location: Stewart County Campaign: Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers (1862) Date(s): February... Read more
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Battle of Fort Donelson - Reinforcements and Naval Assault
At 1:00 a.m. on February 14, Floyd held a council of war in his headquarters, the Dover Hotel, and there was general agreement that Fort Donelson... Read more
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Battle of Fort Donelson - Confederate Escape Attempt
Despite their unexpected naval success, the Confederate generals were still gloomy about their chances in the fort and held another late-night... Read more
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Battle of Fort Donelson - Surrender
Nearly 1,000 soldiers on both sides had been killed, with about 3,000 wounded still on the field; some froze to death in the snowstorm, many Union... Read more
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Battle of Shiloh
Other Names: Pittsburg Landing Location: Hardin County Campaign: Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers... Read more
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Confederate Virginia Bethel Moon Escapes Imprisonment
Virginia "Ginnie" Bethel Moon (1844-1925) was born in Ohio in 1844. She moved to Memphis, Tennessee with her mother in 1862 where she began a short... Read more
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First Battle of Memphis
The First Battle of Memphis was a naval battle fought on the Mississippi River immediately above the city of Memphis on June 6, 1862, during the... Read more
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First Battle of Chattanooga
Description: In late Spring 1862, the Confederacy split its forces in Tennessee into several small commands in an attempt to complicate Federal... Read more
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First Battle of Murfreesboro
The First Battle of Murfreesboro was fought on July 13, 1862, in Rutherford County, Tennessee, as part of the American Civil War. On June 10,... Read more
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Battle of Hatchie's Bridge
The Battle of Hatchie's Bridge, also known as Davis's Bridge or Matamora, was fought on October 5, 1862, in Hardeman County and McNairy County,... Read more
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Battle of Hartsville
The Battle of Hartsville was fought on December 7, 1862, in northern Tennessee at the opening of the Stones River Campaign the American Civil... Read more
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Battle of Jackson, TN
Description: The engagement at Jackson occurred during Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Expedition into West Tennessee, between December 11,... Read more
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Second Battle of Murfreesboro
Other Names: Murfreesboro Location: Rutherford County Campaign: Stones River Campaign (1862-63) Date(s): December 31, 1862-January 2,... Read more
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Battle of Parker's Cross Roads
Description: As Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s expedition into West Tennessee neared its conclusion, Union Brig. Gen. Jeremiah C. Sullivan,... Read more
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Battle of Dover
Description: Under orders, in late January 1863, Confederate Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler, commanding two brigades of cavalry, had taken position on... Read more
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Battle of Thompson's Station
Description: In a period of relative inactivity following the Battle of Stones River, a reinforced Union infantry brigade, under Col. John Coburn,... Read more
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Battle of Vaught's Hill
Description: During the inactivity following the Battle of Stones River, a Union brigade-sized reconnaissance force, under Col. Albert S. Hall,... Read more
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Battle of Brentwood
Description: Union Lt. Col. Edward Bloodgood held Brentwood, a station on the Nashville & Decatur Railroad, with 400 men on the morning of March... Read more
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First Battle of Franklin
Description: The 1863 engagement at Franklin was a reconnaissance in force by Confederate cavalry leader Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn coupled with an... Read more
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Battle of Hoover's Gap
Description: Following the Battle of Stones River, Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, commanding the Army of the Cumberland, remained in the... Read more
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Battle of Blountsville
Description: Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside, commander of the Department of the Ohio, undertook an expedition into East Tennessee to clear the roads... Read more