Gen. John T. Wilder - Monterey, TN
Posted by: 
ggmorton
N 36° 08.839 W 085° 16.106
16S E 655777 N 4001676
A Civil War Trails marker located between the Monterey Depot and the Imperial Hotel in Monterey, TN.
Waymark Code: WM18DJJ
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 07/13/2023
Views: 0
"Gen. John T. Wilder
Monterey Benefactor
Former Union general and postwar Tennessee industrialist John T. Wilder built the Imperial Hotel, behind you, in 1909 to serve travelers who arrived here on the Tennessee Central Railroad. Born in New York's Catskill Mountains, Wilder served in Tennessee during the war. He returned to the state afterward and explored its vast iron and coal deposits, opened foundries, and other businesses, and resided in the towns where they operated. He moved here in 1913, built a house at 208 South Holly Street - a block past the tracks in front of you - and developed the nearby Wilder-Davidson Coal Mine for the Fentress Coal Company.
When the war began, Wilder joined the 17th Indiana Volunteers, then transformed it to the 17th Indiana Mounted Infantry (nicknamed "Wilder's Lightning Brigade"). He armed his men with Spencer repeating rifles, which fired seven rounds in the same amount of time it took the musket-toting Confederates to shoot twice. Wilder distinguished himself during the Tullahoma Campaign and the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga. In poor health, he resigned from the army in October 1864.
Highly respected for his civic leadership by veterans of both sides, Wilder supported the creation of a national military park at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga battlefields. A former Chattanooga mayor and honorary member of the Nathan B. Forrest Bivouac of the United Confederate Veterans (UCV), Wilder died on October 20, 1917. The UCV national chaplain officiated at his funeral. Wilder is buried with his family in Forest Hills Cemetery in Chattanooga."
From: pictured marker
Type of site: Other
Address:
1 E Depot Ave
Monterey, TN USA
38574
Admission Charged: No Charge
Website: [Web Link]
Phone Number: Not listed
Driving Directions: Not listed
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