Gallatin Public Square-Heart of Federal Occupation - Gallatin TN - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

Gallatin Public Square-Heart of Federal Occupation-Early in 1861, Gallatin and Sumner County were divided over secession, but after the fall of Fort Sumter, residents voted almost ten to one in favor. Support of the Confederacy never wavered, as Capt. Benjamin S. Nicklin, 13th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery, wrote in 1864, “This County has not even the germ of loyalty in it.”

With the Louisville and Nashville Railroad located just northwest of the public square and the Cumberland River three miles south of here, Gallatin’s logistical importance to the Union was obvious. Federal forces occupied the town in February 1862. Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan raided Gallatin throughout the war to disrupt Union supply routes. In August 1862 Morgan’s troops destroyed the train depot, the railroad tunnel leading to Bowling Green, Kentucky and the railroad bridge leading to Nashville. After Morgan withdrew, Union Gen. Eleazar Paine reoccupied Gallatin in November 1862 and constructed Fort Thomas, a star-shaped work about 900 yards northwest of here, to protect this transportation hub.

The square served many purposes, including that of an enlistment center. In July 1863, two hundred local African Americans enlisted in the U.S. Army. They were part of the 13th U.S. Colored Troops (USCT), formed at Nashville in November 1863, the same month that the 14th USCT was formed in Gallatin.

Today, several significant Civil War-era buildings remain in Gallatin. Trousdale Place (1815), two blocks west of here, served various functions of the U.S. Army. Next to Trousdale Place, First Presbyterian Church (1836) was used as a hospital. The Williamson Adams Carriage Factory (1839), three blocks east of here, became a Federal barracks.

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First Presbyterian Church Sumner County Archives
Public Square - Courtesy Sumner County Archives
Fort Thomas and Louisville & Nashville RR Courtesy Sumner County Archives

Type of site: Battlefield Address: West Main Street (Tennessee Route 25) on the grounds of the Gallatin City Hall Gallatin, TN USA 37066 Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Phone Number: Not listed Driving Directions: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/06/2021 Don.Morfe visited it