Partisan Warfare - Smith County, TN
Posted by: 
ggmorton
N 36° 08.408 W 085° 48.372
16S E 607405 N 4000151
An informational Civil War Trail map is located at the Smith County I-40 rest area.
Waymark Code: WM14ANC
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 05/31/2021
Views: 3
"The rugged landscape of the Upper Cumberland experienced some of the most vicious guerrilla fighting of the war, as residents were about evenly divided between the Union and the Confederacy.
North of Exit 258 is Carthage, where part of Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's army passed during its 1862 Kentucky invasion. A large Union garrison there occupied the Battery Hill fort overlooking the town, the Cumberland River, and the roads.
Federal troops burned the county courthouse in Cookeville (Exit 287), a major crossroads for both armies, in 1885 just before the war ended.
South of Exit 288 is Sparta, where in 1864 a Federal commander, frustrated by guerrilla Champ Ferguson and other partisans, ordered his troops to plunder local homes. Sparta native Confederate Gen. George Dibrell served with Gen. Nathan B. Forrest's cavalry.
Union Gen. John T. Wilder's postwar home is located off Exit 300 in Monterey. The Officer Farm is north of town. An 1864 firefight there ended with five Confederates dead and a sixth executed. France Cemetery, where Ferguson was buried after his October 1865 trial and execution for murder, is south of Exit 300.
Follow the routes 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."
Reference: posted sign
Type of site: Other
Address:
I-40 Buffalo Valley
Carthage, TN USA
37030
Admission Charged: No Charge
Website: [Web Link]
Driving Directions:
You can enter this rest area from both eastbound and westbound travel.
Phone Number: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Post a picture of site showing the signage or other notable feature. Please tell what you saw or learned.