Civil War in Tennessee - I-65 Welcome Center - Ardmore, TN
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 35° 02.133 W 086° 52.666
16S E 511149 N 3876992
Another in the series of Tennessee Civil War Trails markers
Waymark Code: WMWV94
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 10/16/2017
Views: 1
County of marker: Giles County
Location of marker: I-65 Welcome center, just N. of TN/AL line, Ardmore
Marker erected: 2000
Marker erected by: Civil War Trails of Tennessee
Marker Text:
CIVIL WAR IN TENNESSEE
* * *
Hood Campaign of 1864
Middle Tennessee experienced small-scaled battles and engagements throughout the war. Many occurred along present I-65.
At Elkton (Exit 6), Federal forces controlled the Elk River Bridge and protected the Railroad Bridge with a fort. Pulaski (Exit 14) and Columbia (Exit 46) were major Union command centers. Fighting intensified in September 1864, whe Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry passed through here to attack a Union post at Athens, Alabama. He then returned, engaging Federal forces outside Pulaski, and destroyed a camp of escaped slaves near the town.
Less than two months later, Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood invaded Middle Tennessee, intending to capture Nashville and then advanced through Kentucky and across the Ohio River. Union Gen John M. Schofield maneuvered from Pulaski to Columbia, briefly engaged Hood, and then escaped at Spring Hill (Exit 53) to fortified positions at Franklin (Exit 65). There, on November 30, 1864, Hood suffered more than 6,000 casualties in a futile frontal assault that failed to break the Union line. The Federals next defeated Hood at Nashville (Exit 80) in mid-December, virtually eliminating his army as a fighting force.
Follow the route of the armies along the Tennessee Civil War Trails. Colorful markers at each stop tell the story of the war's interesting people, places, and events. A free map guide to the Tennessee Trails network is available in the Welcome Center. Please drive carefully as you enjoy the beauty and history of the Tennessee Civil War Trails.