The home that Gen. Longstreet made his headquarters for a time during the Civil War is located in Morristown. Some local re-enactors are shown in the yard of the home.

Following the Civil War trail through eastern Tennessee

Posted by
Angela Gary
in Features
Tuesday, December 28. 2010
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All of the 95 counties in Tennessee have a Civil War story to tell and the 150th anniversary of the war that will be observed in 2011 makes it a perfect time to visit some of the sites. Tennessee is second only to Virginia in the number of Civil War battles. More than 200 historical markers are found throughout the state.

In Eastern Tennessee, visitors will find battlefields, cemeteries, historic homes and other sites that were used during the Civil War. With the Sesquicentennial being observed next year, new displays, signs and other items are in place at many of these historic sites.

Visitors will be able to explore the state's rich history that tells of the division between Tennessee's Unionists and Confederates. The location, river and rail paths, industries and farmlands all combined to make Tennessee a crucial state for both sides. More than 1,462 battles, at least one fought in each of the 95 counties, brought destruction to the landscape. Congress has designated the state as the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.

At the Frank H. McClung Museum on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, the Civil War exhibit has been expanded because of the Sesquicentennial observation of the war. “The Battle of Fort Sanders” is also shown at the museum as requested.

At the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Harrogate, visitors can experience the extensive Civil War music collection. The research library in the museum also includes thousands of items from the Civil War period.

Just down the rode at the Cumberland Gap, visitors can take a lantern tour through the Gap Cave and check out the names etched on the ceiling by Civil War soldiers.

In Russellville, visit the home that Gen. Longstreet made his headquarters for a time during the Civil War. In the nearby Bethesda Cemetery, you will find burial sites for 82 Confederate soldiers. The Bethesda Church was during as a hospital during the Civil War.

In Greeneville, visitors can learn about the story of Catherine Williams and the death of General John Hunt Morgan, the thunderbolt of the Confederacy, at the Dickson-Williams Mansion.

Also in Greeneville, the Nathanael Greene Museum features “An Area Divided: The Civil War Comes to Upper East Tennessee.” Information on the struggle of East Tennessee, which had a large number of Union supporters, is presented, along with memorabilia from the Civil War.

These are just a few of stops as you follow the Civil War trail through eastern Tennessee. For more information, go to www.tncivilwar150.com, www.tnvacation.com/civil-war and www.tnvacation.com.
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