Battle of Nashville & Beyond

By Leave a Comment

Statues Come Down

Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jefferson Davis Statues Removed

Wednesday December 20, 2017: Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest‘s statue on Union Street in Memphis, Tennessee was removed around 9 p.m. local time.

“By 10:30 p.m., cranes had maneuvered into Memphis Park and around a statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. About 15 minutes later, a crane hoisted the statue onto a truck as a crowd cheered and struck up songs, including Hit the road Jack.” …read more

The statues where removed to an undisclosed location. What will become of General Forrest and his wife? They are buried underneath the pedestal at the former Nathan Bedford Forrest Park, now the Health Sciences Park (Madison Ave & S Dunlap Street).

Jefferson Davis Park is now named Memphis Park (North Front Street).

Exclusive Virtual Reality Tour of General Forrest’s Statue prior to the removal, and the pedestal a few days latter.

This content requires HTML5/CSS3, WebGL, or Adobe Flash Player Version 9 or higher.

#confederatestatues

By Leave a Comment

Hendersonville

Captain William Henderson:

Hendersonville was settled circa 1784 by General Daniel Smith when he began work on Rock Castle. Captain William Henderson was a Revolutionary War soldier born in Virginia. He and his wife moved to Sumner County Tennessee in the 1790’s. The town of Hendersonville Tennessee was named for him. He became the first postmaster in 1801.

Historic homes of Hendersonville, Tennessee in a Virtual Tour:

Hazel Path Mansion

Bradford Berry Home

Castle Rock

#createtn #hendersonville

by Bob Henderson

By Leave a Comment

Spring Hill Cemetery

Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville:

The Nashville National Cemetery actually has it’s origins from the Spring Hill Cemetery in Madison Tennessee.

The history of Spring Hill dates back to the 1780s when the first settlers moved in from the Cumberland settlement into an area six miles east of Nashville called Haysboro. The land offered fertile soil for their crops and a plentiful steady water source from several springs. Needing a church and school, James Robertson persuaded the Princeton educated Reverend Thomas B. Craighead of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, to move to Haysboro as a preacher and teacher. With a promise of 640 acres of land he arrived in 1785. The settlers had built a log house on the property for him and his family.

Spring Hill Cemetery is a cemetery located at 5110 Gallatin Pike South in the Nashville, Tennessee neighborhood of Madison, Tennessee.

Prior to the establishment of the cemetery, the Davidson Academy (a precursor to the University of Nashville) was located in a stone house at this location.[1]

In addition to two British Royal Air Force veterans of World War II[2] and circus performer Ella Harper,[3] the cemetery is the final resting place for numerous notable music performers including the following:

360º of Spring Hill Cemetery:

5110 Gallatin Pike S, Nashville, TN 37216

#springhillcemetery

By 2 Comments

Mount Olivet

Confederate Circle at Mt. Olivet Cemetery: 

 

1201 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37210

rebel
9′ Granite Soldier

After the Civil War, women  formed an association to raise funds to purchase a distinct plot of land at the cemetery for the interment of Confederate dead. It was used for the interment of soldiers who had died on nearby battlegrounds and as a memorial to their sacrifice. Women organized such memorial associations and raised money for interment of Southern soldiers in cities across the South and areas where there were concentrations of bodies. The Nashville memorial association arranged for burials of about 1,500 soldiers here. Confederate veterans were also eligible for burial. – Wikipedia 

Confederate Memorial Hall: The chamber was constructed in 1856, when Mount Olivet opened, as a holding vault. Underground, it allowed the deceased to be kept at cooler temperatures. Embalming procedures improved in the 1860’s, but the structure is believed to have been used well into the 20th Century. It is open to the public and includes a timeline of significant individuals related to the Civil War in Nashville. The Hall located on the left main drive, on the right side near the crest of the hill.

Notable Civil War Related Burials:

Confederate Circle

Seven Confederate generals are buried in or around the circle. They are William B. Bate, William N.R, Bealle, Benjamin Franklin Cheatham, William H. Jackson, George E. Maney, James E. Rains, and Thomas Benton Smith. Other prominent Nashville Confederates, Colonels Adolphus Heiman and Randall McGavock, lie nearby.

This 45-foot granite monument marks the center of the Confederate Circle.

 

3D like Virtual Tour of Confederate Circle and Confederate Memorial Hall

 

Find a Grave locator link

#confederatecircle

By Leave a Comment

Zion

Sam Watkins Church and Cemetery

Private Sam Watkins

2322 Zion Rd, Columbia, TN 38401

“The Zion Presbyterian Church is a historic building in Maury County, Tennessee. The church was built between 1847 and 1849 of brick in the Greek Revival style. President James K. Polk attended a school conducted by the church. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1972.”

It is believed to be the oldest Church in Maury County, Tennessee.

“Zion Presbyterian Church was established in the early 19th-century by Scots-Irish families from South Carolina who moved to Maury County, Tennessee. In 1807, they organized and built a structure on 5,000 acres (20 km²) of land they purchased from heirs of Major-General Nathanael Greene, who had received the land as part of a 25,000-acre (100 km²) American Revolutionary War land grant. The original building was replaced with a brick structure in 1813. The present building was constructed in the Greek Revival style by members and their slaves using brick, limestone, and timber. The architectural styling features stepped gables and a recessed open vestibule. A gallery was also provided for slaves to attend service. In the 1880s, Tiffany Stained Glass windows were added to the church building.

With over 1,500 graves, the Zion Presbyterian Church cemetery of is also of historical significance. In addition to many of the church’s founding members, soldiers from the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War are also interred there. The church cemetery contains a monument to “Daddy Ben,” a slave who, during the Revolutionary War, refused to tell the British where his master was hiding, and survived three hanging attempts by the British Army.” – Wikipedia

It is the final resting place of Private Sam Watkins, who was raised near by:

“Samuel Rush “Sam” Watkins (June 26, 1839 – July 20, 1901) was an American writer and humorist. He fought through the entire Civil War and saw action in many major battles. Today, he is best known for his enduring memoir, “Co. Aytch,” which recounts his life as a soldier in the Confederate States Army.” – Wikipedia

NOTE: I would like to add one footnote about Sam Watkins’ narrative: Col Robert Farquharson is mentioned twice in “Co. Aytch” leading the 4th Tennessee. He was actually Colonel of the 41st Tennessee. My GGF Capt. Walter Scott Bearden served as an officer under his command. They apparently fought together at the Bloody Angle at Kennesaw Mountain.

360º Panorama of The Zion Presbyterian Church

#zionchurch