Federal Occupation

For most residents, Robertson County was a difficult place to live during the war. After the fall of Confederate Forts Henry and Donelson in 1862, Union forces occupied the county and made the town of Springfield a military base, where they guarded local roads and the Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad. Federal troops used the First Presbyterian Church on Locust Street as a staple; damage from horseshoes can still be seen in this historic building. Relations between the soldiers and the residents were generally friendly at first, but by February 1863, citizens were complaining of misbehavior and thievery to Military Governor Andrew Johnson. During one horrific December 1864 day at Wessyngton Plantation, Union soldiers threatened and then shot the plantation owner while burning many farm buildings there.

Other important military activities also affected civilian life. In June 1861, Confederates established a major induction center, Camp Cheatham. It was named in honor of Gen. Benjamin Franklin Cheatham, whose ancestors were among the founders of Springfield. During the autumn of 1862, Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan's cavalry raid destroyed the Dead Horse Trestle near Ridgetop. In 1863, Federal authorities recruited escaped slaves from local plantations and formed units of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCTs). In 1864, the 15th USCT formed part of the Union garrison in Springfield.

"The house had been pillaged from garret to cellar, trunks broken, open(ed) & rifled, furniture chopped to pieces with axes, doors burst down, and your Grandma cursed and told if she did not give them 500 dollars, they would burn the house over here d__n old head." — Jane Washington, Dec 18, 1864

(captions)
First Presbyterian Church Courtesy Robertson County Archives
Wessyngton Plantation Courtesy Robertson County Archives

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Show me all markers in:  Springfield, TN  |  Robertson County  |  37172  |  Tennessee  |  United States of America

Robertson County Korean War Memorial
Robertson County Courthouse
Fallen Confederate Soldiers
Tennessee Light and Power Company
Robertson County World War II Tree Memorial
Robertson County World War II Memorial
First United Presbyterian Church
Robertson County Vietnam Memorial
Robertson County Courthouse
Springfield

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