Civil War

Ash, Stephen V.  This work includes discussions of Bedford, Marshall and Maury Counties, Tennessee, before and after the Civil War.

Bacon, Willard S.  This document is centered on the archaeological remains of a Civil War stockade.

Bagby, Milton.  Angry at subordinate generals for allowing Union troops to infiltrate Spring Hill, Tennessee, in 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood made the disastrous decision to attack the formidable Union defenses at Franklin.

Baumgartner, Richard A., and Larry M. Strayer. This work includes descriptions and analyses of the Tullahoma Campaign of 1863.

Bell, Patricia.  This work examines the general who drew controversy in both the Mexican and Civil Wars.

Blumberg, Arnold.  The Army of the Cumberland, 65,000 men strong, under the command of Major General William S. Rosecrans, invaded Tennessee in what would be called the Tullahoma Campaign on June 24, 1863.  The primary objective was to defeat the 44,000 troops of the Army of Tennessee under the command of General Braxton Bragg.  Over the next 17 days, Union troops forced Bragg to retreat into Chattanooga.  

Bradley, Michael.  Bradley provides the first comprehensive overview of the Tullahoma Campaign and its significance for the armies of Tennessee and the Cumberland.

Brandt, Robert S.  The Tullahoma Campaign began on June 24, 1863.  It took only 11 days for Union Major General William S. Rosecrans's Army of the Cumberland to maneuver the Confederate Army of Tennessee, under General Braxton Bragg, completely out of Middle Tennessee.  This campaign was overshadowed by Gettysburg and Vicksburg, yet it was decisive to the outcome of the war.

Caravantes, Peggy.  This document, intended for junior high school students, includes the story of Union spy Pauline Cushman.  

Chitty, Arthur Ben.  Leonidas Polk was the first North American bishop to enter the military.  His religious contributions fell into three periods: his ministry in Tennessee, his missionary episcopate in the Southwest, and his bishopric in Louisiana.  As Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana, he saw, perhaps, his greatest achievement completed in 1860 when the University of the South was built.

Christen, William.  "Pauline Cushman in Bedford County During June, 1863."  This work describes Cushman, a female spy for the Union during the Civil War.

Christen, William.  Pauline Cushman: Spy of the Cumberland, an Accounting and Memorandum of Her Life.  Pauline Cushman was one of the most famous Union spies during the Civil War.  Her exploits over the course of a few weeks in Kentucky and Tennessee secured her place in the war’s history, yet the stories are often based on myth rather than fact.  Following her service as a spy, she gained renown as Miss Major Pauline Cushman and embarked on a tempestuous life that took her from P. T. Barnum's New York stage to the Wild West of Arizona and California.

Cimprich, John.  The duration and extent of federal occupation in Tennessee during the Civil War makes this state particularly suited to answer questions of how slaves responded to the war, federal troops, and their masters.  Tennessee is utilized as a case study to retest the theses of Eugene D. Genovese, Leon Litwack, Edward Magdol, and Paul Escott regarding slaves, slavery, and the Civil War.

"Civil War Letters of John Wesley Robison."  Robison was a soldier from Maury County, Tennessee.

Connelly, Thomas Lawrence.  Army of the Heartland:  The Army of Tennessee, 1861-1862.  Although Connelly wrote this book in the 1960s, it remains the standard book about the Army of Tennessee in 1861 and 1862.  Much of it focuses on the formation of the army largely from the state army/militia of Tennessee.  Characters who helped form the army, like Governor Isham Harris, and early leaders of the army, such as Leonidas Polk, Albert Sidney Johnston, Braxton Bragg, and Kirby Smith, are discussed. The book examines strategies, policies, and politics of the army and its relationship with the Confederate government and President Jefferson Davis.

Connelly, Thomas Lawrence.  Autumn of Glory:  The Army of Tennessee, 1862-1865.  This is a standard work examining the ongoing struggles of the Army of Tennessee in a number of campaigns, including Stones River, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga, and the army's demise at the battles of Franklin and Nashville.

Connelly, Thomas Lawrence.  Civil War Tennessee:  Battles and Leaders.  Uniquely positioned as the gateway to the entire western theater of the Confederacy, Tennessee became the significant battleground in the West during the Civil War.  Both the North and the South coveted the state's agricultural and industrial resources.  Connelly examines the tactical maneuvers and the leaders who intended to win Tennessee and hasten the end of the war.  

Cook, Goldea.  This recipe was created by Lytle when he was a prisoner of war.

Crabbe, Alfred Leland.  This document includes reminiscences of soldiers from Maury and Bedford Counties, Tennessee.

Crawford, William T.  The affair or mystery at Spring Hill, Tennessee, is examined minutely. The failure of the Confederate flanking attempt there is attributed to 1) the lack of a definite and well-organized plan of action; 2) Hood's failure to grasp the full significance of the situation as it developed; and 3) the paralyzing lack of initiative that seems to have permeated the entire group of Confederate generals. This article is based mainly on printed sources.

Current, Richard Nelson.  This work includes a discussion of Tennessee Governor Isham G. Harris and his reaction to Tennesseans with Union sympathies.

Cushman, Pauline.  This is Cushman’s dramatic account of her life as a Union spy, her capture, court martial, rescue and triumph as she told her story all over the Northeast.  President Lincoln made her an honorary Major in the Federal Army.

Daniel, Larry J.  This work reevaluates the actions and decisions of secessionist Tennessee Governor Isham G. Harris during 1861. The author questions many of the conclusions drawn by Thomas L. Connelly in Army of the Heartland: The Army of the Tennessee, 1861-1862, which deemed Harris incompetent and radical.

Dyer, John P.  This is the only full-length biography of Confederate General Joe Wheeler, and it will likely be the standard for some time.

Estes, George E.  First printed in 1918, this work is Estes's personal recollection of the retreat from Franklin in 1864.

Fischer, John E.  This is a detailed examination of  the Confederate military service of five Fisher brothers of Marshall County, Tennessee.  They served with the 4th and 11th  Tennessee Cavalry Regiments under Nathan Bedford Forrest and Joseph Wheeler.

Folger, Fred J., III.  Better known as the Great Locomotive Chase, this 1863 Civil War incident was planned at Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Freemantle, Arthur J.L.  Freemantle was a British soldier, traveling in the South to report back to the United Kingdom about his observations of the Confederate Army, the South in general, and the prosecution of the war.

Gaff, Alan D.  This work concerns how the Civil War affected the residents of Hickman County, Tennessee.

Garrett, Jill Knight, ed.  This is a collection of letters originally published in 1913 that disparage J.P. Remington's account of the Battle of Spring Hill.  

Glazier, Captain Willard.  Glazier was a captain who fought at Spring Hill and other places in Tennessee.

Hannah, Howard Malcolm.  Franklin County, Tennessee, while nominally controlled by the Union during the Civil War, was the site of many skirmishes, raids, and even guerrilla warfare as part of the battle for Tennessee. Action was particularly intense during the Tullahoma campaign of 1863.

Harris, Isham.  Harris, who was from Coffee County, was governor of Tennessee in 1861.  Pro-Confederate, Harris urged the state to follow its southern neighbors and leave the Union.  His speech presents Harris’ rationale for secession.

Hawkins, Fred L.  Zollicoffer, who died at the Battle of Mill Springs in 1862, had been a newspaper editor before the War in Columbia, Tennessee.

Hay, Thomas R.  This work describes the disintegration of the Army of Tennessee at Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville.

Henry, Robert Selph.  This biography captures the military career of Nathan Bedford Forrest without delving into his personal life history.  Henry focuses upon Forrest’s military prowess and legendary skill as “the wizard of the saddle.”   The lack of maps may hinder the book’s readability.  

Hill, Sarah Jane Full.  As the wife of Union Army Major Eben Hill, Sarah participated in the war effort in St. Louis and observed camps in Tennessee and Vicksburg.  On trips to visit her husband in several army camps, she met many prominent people such as Ulysses S. Grant, Gen. Nathan B. Forrest, John Wilkes Booth, and Andrew Johnson.

Hood's Tennessee Campaign.  This site depicts Confederate General John Bell Hood's attempt to take Nashville back from Union forces and the crucial battle that ensued in Columbia, Tennessee.  

Horan, James D.  This work includes the story of Union spy Pauline Cushman who was captured in Sheblyville, Tennessee, in 1863.

Horn, Stanley F.  The Army of Tennessee:  A Military History.  This is a solid, readable, one-volume history of the Army of Tennessee.  It has a number of references to the Duck River and inhabitants from the region.

Horn, Stanley F.  "The Spring Hill Legend."  This work argues that John Bell Hood did not have enough force to spring a trap on Union General John M. Schofield at Spring Hill.

Hughes, Nathaniel Cheairs, Jr.  Cheairs grew up at Spring Hill and fought with the Confederacy throughout Tennessee until imprisoned.  He lost his plantation, Rippa Villa, as a result of the war.

Hughes, Nathaniel Cheairs, Jr., and Roy P. Stonesifer, Jr.  This work examines the records of a  Maury County native and slave holder who proved an incompetent general officer in both the Mexican and Civil Wars.  Well written and carefully researched, the book convicts Pillow with his own record.  Though Pillow may have been a wealthy and respected businessman, he lacked the necessary abilities to lead men in battle.

Kane, Harnett Thomas.  This work includes a discussion of Pauline Cushman, the Union spy captured in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Larmers, William M.  Rosecrans was stationed throughout Tennessee and played a key role in the Tullahoma Campaign of 1863.

Lufkin, Charles L.  Governor Isham G. Harris of Coffee County and his decision to take Tennessee into the Civil War are discussed at length.

McBride, Robert M.  This is a biographical study of Nathaniel Francis Cheairs, the planter who owned Rippa Villa (1818-1914).  As a Confederate major, Cheairs bore the truce flag under protest at the surrender of Fort Donelson, in February 1862.  He was incarcerated at Fort Warren, Massachusetts, as a war prisoner but escaped.  Late in 1863, while buying cattle in west Tennessee, Cheairs was captured again but escaped death using his status as a Mason to win sympathy from Colonel Fielding Hurst.  He refused clemency, however, unless it was also granted his two companions, and was sent to Camp Chase, Ohio, for the remainder of the war.

McDonaugh, James L.  Several individuals and events associated with the Duck River are discussed in an overview of the war in Tennessee.  

Miller, Rex.  The 51st Alabama Cavalry fought across Middle Tennessee and in the Tullahoma Campaign of 1863.

Moore, Frank.  This work includes the exploits of celebrated Union spy Pauline Cushman who was captured in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and sentenced to death.  She was rescued by General Rosecrans's forces and became a cause celebre in the North.

Morris, Andrew Neil.  This work examines the Tullahoma Campaign of 1863.

Parks, Joseph H.  Polk, an Episcopal bishop, chose to fight for the Confederacy during the Civil War.  Though he was an accomplished minister, he proved incompetent on the battlefield.

Ramage, James A.  A biography of the flamboyant Confederate cavalry officer, the book explains why Morgan captured the imagination of people in both the South and the North.  It is a competent, readable account of Morgan’s life and military career.

Remington, J.D.  Remington fought for the Union with the 73rd Illinois.  His article proved highly controversial when first published in 1913 and drew a great deal of criticism.

Riley, Harris D., Jr.  General Carter is buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Columbia.

Rowell, John W.  This work discusses the campaigns that Lily’s Battery fought, including the Tullahoma Campaign of 1863.

Rozar, Lily B.  This work includes the story of Union spy Pauline Cushman, captured in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in 1863.

Rutkow, Ira.  In this fast-paced and informative book, Rutkow recreates the experience of the common Civil War soldier.  Simple gunshot wounds often necessitated amputation, and lack of antiseptics meant more soldiers died from infection and disease than from their wounds.  Rutkow charts the progress of military medicine during the course of the war and its struggle to establish a humane and scientific system of care for the fallen.

Sanders, Stuart W.  "The Bishop's Nephew."  This work traces the military career of Confederate General Lucius Eugene Polk, nephew of “the Fighting Bishop” General Leonidas Polk, a corps commander and constant critic of Braxton Bragg’s handling of the Army of Tennessee.  Lucius Polk's leadership style frequently put him in front of his troops, inspiring courageous assaults during key battles such as Perryville and Murfreesboro.  His daring made him overly vulnerable to enemy fire, resulting in being wounded four times and losing a leg.

Sanders, Stuart W.  "Every Mother's Son of Them are Yankees."  During the battle of Perryville, Kentucky, Confederate Major General Leonidas Polk mistakenly rode across Confederate lines into the 22nd Indiana regiment of the Union lines.  In order to escape with his life, he had to convince them that he was a Union general.

Sarmiento, Ferdinand L.  Pauline Cushman was an actress who, in 1863, became a Union spy, posing as an attractive camp follower of the Confederate Army in Tennessee and Kentucky.  When caught, General Braxton Bragg sent her before a court-martial, which sentenced her to hang.  Her execution was delayed when Cushman fell ill.  Rescued in Shelbyville, Tennessee, by Union forces, Cushman was acclaimed throughout the North and commissioned as an honorary major by President Abraham Lincoln.

Sateran, Shelly Swanson.  Pauline Cushman was an actress who, in 1863, became a Union spy, posing as an attractive camp follower of the Confederate Army in Tennessee and Kentucky.  When caught, General Braxton Bragg sent her before a court-martial, which sentenced her to hang.  Her execution was delayed when Cushman fell ill.  Rescued in Shelbyville, Tennessee, by Union forces, Cushman was acclaimed throughout the North and commissioned as an honorary major by President Abraham Lincoln.

Schiller, Laurence D.  This work examines the Union Army's campaigns in Tennessee from 1862 to 1863.  Senior commanders made structural changes that explain dramatic improvements in Union cavalry effectiveness in the Western theater by the summer of 1863.  Union Brigadier General Richard W. Johnson’s troops performed poorly in the Spring 1862 campaign against John Hunt Morgan's and Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalries.  The defeat prompted Major General William S. Rosecrans to initiate major reforms.  The changes facilitated the innovative and audacious tactics of Major General David S. Stanley's units in the successful Tullahoma campaign in 1863.

Sherman, William T.  Sherman’s well-written, literary memoirs are among the best ever written by a professional soldier in the United States.  They recount his life before and after the Civil War, but give great insight into the man and how he viewed the cataclysm that tore the nation apart.  Much time is devoted to his maneuvers in Tennessee and its importance to eventual Union victory.

"Shotgun's Home of the American Civil War."  This site provides journal entries, from November 14, 1864 through January 23, 1865, written by soldiers in the Army of Tennessee.  Some entries tell of battles near the Duck River.

Simpson, Harold B.  Simpson participated in the Tullahoma Campaign.

Sipes, Colonel William B.  The 7th Pennsylvania fought all over Middle Tennessee and participated in the Tullahoma Campaign of 1863.

Slayden, Van H.  This is a compilation of stories previously published in the News-Democrat about the Civil War in Humphreys County.

Smith, Dwight L.  This work presents excerpts of Samuel E. Tillman's account of his youthful experiences in Civil War Middle Tennessee as Union and Confederate forces fought for control of the state.  He describes being briefly pressed into service by retreating Confederates, though he was from a Unionist family.  Tillman reflects on the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation and tells of what happened to former slaves with whom he had been intimately acquainted.  

Smith, Frank H.  This work presents an eye-witness account of Nathan Bedford Forrest being wounded in battle, while one of his officers, Lieutenant Andrew Willis Gould, was killed in Columbia, Tennessee.

Smith, Samuel D., and Benjamin C. Nance.  The report describes the archaeological remains of Civil War sites across the state of Tennessee.  It includes descriptions of sites and the number of them in the ninety-five counties of the Volunteer State.  Several sites in the Duck River watershed are discussed at length, building upon the earlier 1990 report.

Smith, Samuel D., Fred M. Prouty, and Benjamin C. Nance.  A Survey of Civil War Period Military Sites in Middle Tennessee.  A compilation of known Civil War sites across the state of Tennessee, this is a preliminary investigation of extant remains at those various locations where Civil War activity was known to occur.

Stern, Philip Van Doren, ed.  A facsimile of the 1868 edition, this work features firsthand accounts of Civil War soldiers when they were not in battle, revealing historic details about what a soldier wore, ate, and did when he was not fighting. It brings a personal and human dimension to the history of the Civil War.

Stonesifer, Roy P., Jr.  This work evaluates Pillow's personality and its effects on his actions in the Mexican and Civil Wars.  Commissioned a Brigadier general by his friend and former law partner, President James K. Polk, Pillow blamed his failures on his superiors--Winfield Scott in the Mexican War and Leonidas Polk in the Civil War.  At Fort Donelson, he broke rank with his immediate superior, General John B. Floyd, asking General Albert Sidney Johnston to defend the fort.  Floyd's inability to give orders and Pillow's unwillingness to take them lost the chance of victory or withdrawal.  Personal animosities prevented the adoption of new plans of escape and the army surrendered, making it possible for Federal forces to occupy Nashville on February 24, 1862, the first southern capitol to fall into Union hands.

Sword, Wiley.  In this compelling dramatic account of a final and fatal invasion by the Confederate Army of Tennessee, Sword illuminates the missed opportunities, senseless bloody assaults, and poor command decisions of Confederate General John Bell Hood whose stubborn pride resulted in 23,500 Confederate losses--including 7,000 casualties in one battle-- and the annihilation of the South's second largest army.

Symonds, Craig L.  Stonewall of the West:  Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War.  In this solidly researched book, Symonds examines Irish immigrant Patrick Cleburne's growth as a combat leader, from his first major battle at Shiloh to his emergence as one of the war's most effective field commanders.  He also examines Cleburne's relations with Generals Hardee, Bragg, Johnston, and Hood.  Cleburne’s division flew under its own distinct flag, the Bonnie Blue, rather than the more recognizable St. Andrew’s Cross.  Symonds provides a new interpretation of  the mystery of what happened at Spring Hill and recounts Hood’s ordering Cleburne's division on its suicidal charge at the Battle of Franklin, which resulted in Cleburne’s death.  This is the first full-scale critical biography of one of the most significant commanders of the Army of Tennessee.

Symonds, Craig L.  "Who Were the Worst Ten Generals?"  In this work, six historians rank the five worst generals from each side of the Civil War, including Gideon J. Pillow of Maury County, Tennessee.

Thomas, Edison H.  This is a short, fast-paced examination of John Hunt Morgan’s short, legendary military career as a Confederate cavalry officer.  It is more an introduction of the subject rather than a detailed accounting of his life.

War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.  This is the essential collection of primary documents concerning the Civil War.  Comprised of field reports, communications, and other primary sources, it is invaluable to any serious student of the war.  It is also available on CD-ROM.

Webb, Garrison.  This work includes a discussion of Union spy Pauline Cushman who was captured in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in 1863.

Williams, Samuel Cole.  This is the first biography of Wilder who fought all over Tennessee during the course of the war.  After the war ended, he made Chattanooga his home and played a prominent role in the post-war economy of Tennessee.  His war and business dealings often included the Duck River watershed region.

Woodhead, Henry, et al.  The book contains detailed maps of the campaigns in the Civil War, including those in the Duck River watershed.

Woodworth, Steven E.  This work argues that General Leonidas Polk decided on his own to breach Kentucky's neutrality and did not inform Jefferson Davis of the fact.  Davis learned about the invasion from Tennessee governor Isham Harris.

Reconstruction

Ash, Stephen V.  Middle Tennessee Society Transformed, 1860-1870.  This work includes discussions of Bedford, Marshall, and Maury Counties, in Tennessee, before and after the Civil War.

Ash, Stephen V., ed.  "Conscience and Christianity:  A Middle Tennessee Unionist Renounces His Church, 1867."  This work concerns William Taylor, a Bedford County farmer.

Prince, Richard E.  This piece has a more than 30-year reputation as the foremost work written about the railroad.

Smith, Dwight L.  This work features excerpts from the autobiography of native Tennessean Samuel E. Tillman whose military career began in 1865 and ended after World War I.  His narrative deals primarily with conditions at his Bedford County plantation home after the Civil War while he was preparing to enter the U.S. Military Academy.  Relations with former slaves were genial, but a nearby lynching proved that separate justice systems still existed for whites and ex-slaves.

Wynn, Linda T.  This work deals with the Freedman's Bank and Trust (1865-1874) and mentions the branch in Columbia, Tennessee.

Zebly, Kathleen R.  Arnell was a Columbia, Tennessee, native.