Born into the Union Again: A Buckeye View of the Occupation of Nashville

Nashville was the first of the Confederate state capitals to fall during the Civil War when the forces of the Army of the Ohio under Major General Don Carlos Buell entered the city in February 1862. Federal occupation became a fact of life in wartime Nashville and while the Federal hold on the city was threatened on a few occasions, the Confederacy never again controlled the city. 

 The following account written by Corporal John Cox of the 24th Ohio Infantry gives a first hand account of the first days of Federal occupation of the city. It is interesting to note that Cox believed that Nashville residents became "Union to the hub" shortly after General William Nelson issued his directive to the troops prohibiting plundering of either private or public property. "They have been taught to believe that the Yankees were such desperate creatures and that our mission was to plunder, steal, destroy property, outrage females, etc., and this scared them out of their wits," he wrote. 


A period map showing Nashville as a transportation hub with the Cumberland River flowing west to east, and four railroads radiating from the city: the Kentucky Railroad and Louisville and Nashville roads going north, the Alabama and Nashville & Chattanooga road going to the south. 



Nashville, Tennessee,
February 26, 1862

Dear Kate:
          We are in camp again having just pitched our tents in the suburbs of the Southern metropolis. I am at leisure and embrace the earliest opportunity to indite a few lines though I do not know that it will reach you with mail facilities being so poor and we have no post office or postmaster.
         
          This place was just born into the Union yesterday morning. Nelson’s division landed yesterday morning at 8 o’clock and took peaceable possession of the city of Nashville and planted the stars and stripes on the capital. Our two brigades (the 10th and 19th) with one gunboat ran up the river and landed without any resistance, the Rebels having evacuated the city a week ago. We found all the stores and business houses closed up and very few citizens were to be seen. A few manifested courage enough to come to the landing and wave their handkerchiefs, but the majority were so frightened that they did not show themselves for some time.
 
Bust of Major General William "Bull" Nelson of Kentucky. The outspoken general would be murdered by General Jefferson C. Davis September 29, 1862 at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. 

They have been taught to believe that the Yankees were such desperate creatures and that our mission was to plunder, steal, destroy property, outrage females, etc., and this scared them out of their wits. As soon as we landed, General Nelson issued an order forbidding soldiers entering any private house or mutilating private or public property, which was received with cheers by those present. In a short time the streets were covered with thousands of curious and anxious spectators- men, women, children, and Negroes (the latter forming no small part of the crowd) crowded around and welcomed us. The women especially received our flag with exclamations of joy. One old lady was so carried away that she came up and kissed the flag. A wonderful change has been wrought in the sentiment of Nashville in the last 24 hours and today it is Union to the hub.

I will give you a description of our trip here. We started from Hart County, Kentucky a week ago last Friday and marched to the river, to West Point, arriving there Sunday evening. Monday the 17th, we got aboard steamboats and started down the river. Tuesday evening arrived at Evansville and laid there till Wednesday. Thursday we ran back up to Kenelton and were ordered to Paducah, Kentucky and reached Paducah Friday at 9 o’clock and lay there till Sunday morning at sunrise, when we started for Nashville. We came back to the mouth of the Cumberland River (12 miles) and ran up the Cumberland to this place, passing Fort Donelson Sunday night but could not see much of it and arrived here at 8 o’clock yesterday.

The Rebels left here the day after Fort Donelson was surrendered in a perfect panic. They have taken a start for Murfreesboro some 30 miles back of this city. Soldiers are pouring in here by the thousands; one brigade landed yesterday evening and some half dozen brigades have landed here today and still they are coming. Governor Isham Harris and the members of the legislature left here for Memphis.

A wartime view of the Capitol Building in Nashville, Tennessee taken by George Barnard. 

Nashville is a fine city, has a beautiful situation, and some splendid buildings. The capitol stands on an eminence and commands a view of the river and country for miles. It is a stone building and quite a fine one. Money seems to be very scarce except for Southern script and every boy has his pocket full of that legal tender, but it is now considerably below par. It was current until yesterday morning when it depreciated so much that one man told me he couldn’t pay for his breakfast with a $100 bill. We captured a large amount of commissary stores here and are now living on it.


John Cox enlisted as a 30-year old Private in Company K, 24th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on June 13, 1861, mustering into service the same day. He was promoted successively to Corporal November 18, 1861, to Sergeant November 1, 1862, and to Commissary Sergeant July 14, 1863. His method of discharge is unknown, but he later served in Co. B of the 9th U.S. Veteran Infantry Regiment. After the war, he moved to Indiana and died January 28, 1896 in Lagrange Co., Indiana. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Lagrange, Indiana. 

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