150 Years | Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial
Attractions
Tennessee Civil War Attractions
Use the tabs above to learn more about trails, markers and other interpretive sites; battlefields, and the many Civil War-related museums and other attractions designed to help travelers understand the legacy of the war in Tennessee.
Tennessee's Civil War history is a study in contrasts: a secessionist state with staunch Union loyalties, divided cities held by both Union and Confederate troops, constant danger and hardship, and nagging uncertainty about friends, neighbors and families, about who was friend or foe.
Tennessee's Civil War tale is one of divided loyalties, crucial battles, and the wide-reaching devastation of "total war." People throughout the state were completely immersed in the economic, social, and physical effects of the conflict, subject to violence and terror, disease and malnutrition, heartbreak and loss, and military rule by both sides. The stories of the Underground Railroad and Emancipation bring out the other side of war in the African American struggle for freedom and citizenship. Many grim reminders of the war—as well as hopeful symbols of heroism and kindness—stand today as testament to how the war transformed Tennessee.
Buttonwillow Church Civil War Dinner Theater
SELECTED BY THE TRAVEL CHANNEL and FEATURED ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL!
Located in the old Buttonwillow Church just outside of Chattanooga....The Buttonwillow Church Civil War Dinner Theater proudly presents "Granddaddy's Watch", a moving two-hour live performance recently featured on PBS and based on actual events. The War Between the States comes to life on a magnificent 19th-century set in the beautifully reproduced Victorian dining and performance hall. The story of a Union soldier meeting his Confederate sister on the battlefield is based on hundreds of diaries and memoirs from the period.
Open year-round, this indoor, family-friendly production in Whitwell (just 35 miles ...more
Region: Chattanooga & Southeast
City: Whitwell, TN
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Civil War Living History Weekend
Civil War reenactment with skirmishes and battles in this historic town of Cumberland ...more
Region: Knoxville & Middle East
City: Cumberland Gap, TN
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Collierville Historic Train Depot
Located on Colliervile's Town Square in the mid-1940s, this historic building is the third depot in Collierville since 1852. Home to Main Street Collierville, it's a great stop for info and Collierville mementos while visiting the historic ...more
Region: Memphis & Surrounding Areas
City: Collierville, TN
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Confederate Camp at Seawell
<p>During his 1864 raid on Federal positions throughout Middle Tennessee, Confederate cavalry leader Joe Wheeler camped at this site. At the turn of the century, Castle Heights Military Academy was established here, and the remaining buildings of the campus are listed in a National Register historic district. Within City Hall (the old academy’s administration building) is a museum about Lebanon and Wilson County, which contains several exhibits about the Civil War ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Lebanon, TN
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Confederate Memorial Hall (Bleak House)
Also called Bleak House, the Tuscan style antebellum mansion was built by slaves between 1854 - 1858 for its newlywed owners, Robert and Louisa Franklin Armstrong. Occupied by Confederate Generals James Longstreet and Lafayette McLaws during 1863 siege of Knoxville. Two cannon balls are still embedded in the walls. Furnished with period antiques. Museum of CSA ...more
Region: Knoxville & Middle East
City: Knoxville, TN
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Confederate Memorial Park
Huge Confederate Flag flies on a 75 ft. pole and Confederate memorial bricks honor Civil War soldiers who fought for the South from the ...more
Region: Upper Cumberland
City: Monterey, TN
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Confederate Memorial Park at Winstead Hill
A Confederate memorial park with monuments, historical markers, cannon, an overlook and 3-D map of the Franklin battlefield located on Winstead ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Franklin, TN
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Courthouse Burning in Livingston
In April 1865 a company of Confederate guerrillas led by Captain John Francis made a raid on Livingston and burned the county courthouse. U.S. authorities had collected information about the pro-Confederate activities of many local residents and this material was stored in the courthouse, awaiting use in trails. By destroying the courthouse and the evidence against them these residents were saved from being placed on ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Livingston, TN
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Cronanville Confederate Cemetery
Confederate soldier cemetery located near the Island #10 ...more
Region: Northwest
City: Tiptonville, TN
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Cumberland County Driving Tour
The audio tour tape “Civil War Trails Across Cumberland County” is available in the office of the county ...more
Region: Upper Cumberland
City: Crossville, TN
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Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
The park is rich in American Indian, early pioneer and Civil War history, plus offers 70 miles of trails, tours of the historic Hensley Settlement, cave tours and camping. Visitor Center includes museum, dramatic films, craft sales and bookstore.
Cumberland Gap is one of the most important passages through the Appalachian Mountains, permitting passage between East Kentucky and Tennessee. The park contains remnants of Civil War era iron furnace and fortifications of both Union and Confederate forces.
For the birdwatcher, the park is home to Ring-billed Gull, Canada Goose, Snow Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Wild Turkey, Northern ...more
Region: Knoxville & Middle East
City: Cumberland Gap, TN
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Cumberland University
The audio tour tape “Civil War Trails Across Cumberland County” is available in the office of the county ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Lebanon, TN
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Davis Bridge Battlefield
Generals Sterling Price and Earl Van Dorn met General Ord here after the Battle of Corinth, October 5, 1862. A battle then ensued for the ...more
Region: Southwest
City: Pocahontas, TN
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Denmark Presbyterian Church
The oldest Presbyterian church in west Tennessee was founded on Cub Creek in 1821, before the town was settled. The congregation moved to Denmark but outgrew its home at a Baptist school.
Using slave labor, the Snipes brothers had the church built in just six days in 1854, and the church was ready for worship the next Sunday. It originally also housed Masonic Lodge # 154 on the second floor. Many signatures of Masons are still visible on the wall and door of the lodge.
Civil War-era stories include that of Confederate soldiers hiding under the hoop skirts of their sweethearts when Union troops searched ...more
Region: Southwest
City: Denmark, TN
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Fort Defiance/Sevier Station
Civil War fort. During the capture of Clarksville, the fort was burned and abandoned by Confederate forces. Earthenworks are all that ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Clarksville, TN
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Fort Dickerson Park
<p>Fort Dickerson was named for its first commander, U.S. Army Captain Jonathan C. Dickerson of the 112th Illinois Volunteer Mounted Infantry. A 30-year-old carpenter, he played a significant role in Knoxville during the siege of the city in 1863. The fort is one of 16 earthen forts and battery positions that protected the City of Knoxville during the Civil War. Fort Dickerson is said to be the best preserved of all earthworks forts of that era. The park is known for its beautiful views of the whole City of Knoxville to the high ridges beyond Fountain City. There is also ...more
Region: Knoxville & Middle East
City: Knoxville, TN
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Fort Donelson National Battlefield
The site of the first decisive Union victory of the Civil War. A visitor center explains the importance of this pivotal battle. Open ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Dover, TN
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Fort Donelson National Cemetery
Established in 1867 for re-interment of Union soldiers who were originally buried where they fell after the battle of Fort Donelson in ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Dover, TN
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Fort Granger
13-ac. historical battlefield with boardwalk. Built in 1862 by Union troops during the Battle of Franklin. Various locations provide spectacular views of ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Franklin, TN
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Fort Negley
Fort Negley was built in 1862 to defend Nashville against Confederate Army attacks. Black laborers assisted the Union Army in building Fort Negley. The unique star designed Union fort from the Civil War, is located between Greer Stadium and the Cumberland Science Museum near downtown ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Nashville, TN
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