Union Fort Johnson (a.k.a. Tennessee State Capital) - Nashville, TN
N 36° 09.935 W 086° 47.044
16S E 519421 N 4002336
During the Civil War and the Union Occupation of Nashville from 1862-1865, the State Capital was tranformed into Fortress Andrew Johnson. The artillery located there never had to be fired in battle, but were used for drills and celebrations.
Waymark Code: WM2Y7A
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 01/08/2008
Views: 108
The following information on the Capital Building comes from the Battle of Nashville Preservation Site (
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Designed by William Strickland, who moved here from Philadelphia to supervise construction, the capitol is one of the most highly regarded Greek Revival style buildings in the nation.
It is considered by many the masterpiece of Strickland's distinguished career, which began with an apprenticeship to Benjamin Latrobe, first architect of the U.S. Capitol.
The interior is a match for the exterior in elegance and refinement. Worth mentioning is Strickland's extensive use of cast iron, an avant garde building material in the 1840s.
Strickland died before construction was completed; according to his wishes, he was buried in the walls of the capitol. His tomb is visible at the northeast corner of the building near the north entrance.
The following information on the Union Occupation of Nashville came from (
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The rivers that had been such an asset to Tennessee before the war now
became avenues by which Federal invaders captured the region’s towns and cities. Nashville,which had been left undefended except for the two shaky forts, fell to Yankee troops on February 24, 1862, as panicstricken refugees streamed southward out of the city. With
the fall of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, the South lost one
of its chief manufacturing centers, tons of badly needed supplies,
the western Highland Rim iron industry and one of its richest farm regions.
Nashville remained in Union hands until the end of the war, sparing it the physical destruction suffered by other Southern cities. The city would, in fact, serve as the headquarters, supply depot and hospital center of the Union command in the West.