[323] Bituminous coal is mined in small quantities in the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains. Fear of subversion was widespread throughout the state. These we confidently trust you will send immediately to the District Committees, who on the hour of delivery, start out on the work of distribution, and this though there be but half a dozen copies for each district. Despite Davis order for a new phase of war shifting to guerrilla tactics, many troops followed Lee and also surrendered. [39][40][41] [338] Attractions related to Tennessee's musical heritage are spread throughout the state. Civil War Burial Sheets (7116) Apply Civil War Burial Sheets filter Members of the Confederate Relief and Historical Association of Memphis (538) Apply Members of the Confederate Relief and Historical Association of Memphis filter Records of Ex-Soldiers in World War 1 (83055) Apply Records of Ex-Soldiers in World War 1 filter Spanish-American War (7344) Apply Spanish-American War filter ], Sec'y,/Andrew Cheatham/J. In December, Forrests cavalry launched spectacular raids into West Tennessee, defeating Union cavalry units and taking garrisons at Trenton, Dyer, Union City, and several other towns. 88,803 votes were cast for Unionist candidates and 22,749 votes were cast for Secession candidates. [34][35][36] In 1673, English fur trader Abraham Wood sent an expedition from the Colony of Virginia into Overhill Cherokee territory in modern-day northeastern Tennessee. [151][152] The Clinton Engineer Works was established as the production arm of the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, which enriched uranium at three major facilities for use in atomic bombs. [273] The largest denominations by number of adherents are the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Churches of Christ. Some could not accept that their former slaves were now equal under the law. [373], Tennessee is home to more than 120 newspapers. On February 3, 1861, the pro-Union Knoxville Whig published a "Secret Circular" that had mistakenly been sent by its authors to a pro-Union Tennessee U.S. Postmaster. [254] Tennessee's center of population is in Murfreesboro in Rutherford County. [232] Middle Tennessee is home to many unusual and rare ecosystems known as cedar glades, which occur in areas with shallow limestone bedrock that is largely barren of overlying soil and contain many endemic plant species. The war ended slavery, and with its demise came a new era of race relations and a future for the states African Americans that, despite the promise of freedom, contained much uncertainty and hardship. In the 1950s, Tennessee twice voted for Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, former Allied Commander of the Armed Forces during World War II. [353], Tennessee has played a critical role in the development of many forms of American popular music, including blues, country, rock and roll, rockabilly, soul, bluegrass, Contemporary Christian, and gospel. Civil War. In short, the GOP is the neo-Confederate party. All of Tennessee was technically under Union control. [185][186] Other regions include the southern tip of the Cumberland Mountains, the Western Tennessee Valley, and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Roman Catholics make up 6%, Mormons 1%, and Orthodox Christians less than 1%. - Quora Answer (1 of 6): I just finished reading Tullahoma by David A. Powell and Eric J. Wittenberg which is about the Tennessee campaign. Davis refused to give up hope, but was captured by Union forces in Georgia in May 1865, and sent to prison for two years. In May, seizing the new momentum, Governor Harris and the legislature declared the states independence, made a military alliance with the Confederacy, and began raising an army to defend the state from Union invasion. [409][410], Tennessee is divided into 95 counties, with 92 county governments that use a county commission legislative body and a separately elected county executive. [79] These soldiers, under Andrew Jackson's command, played a major role in the American victory at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, the last major battle of the war. [399] Each chamber chooses a Speaker, who is elected by a joint session of the legislature. The current governor is Bill Lee, a Republican. This article is about the U.S. state. Read More Home Military Records Search Reconstruction Years The US state of Tennessee Appalachian Mountains while the Mississippi River forms its western border. In 1567, Spanish explorer Captain Juan Pardo and his party encountered a Native American village named "Tanasqui" in the area while traveling inland from modern-day South Carolina; however, it is unknown if this was the same settlement as Tanasi. During the night Schofield withdrew to Nashville to join Thomass larger force, while Hoods armytoo weak to threaten Nashville and too damaged to retreatcould do no more than follow and take up defensive positions south of the city. [170], In 2002, Tennessee amended its constitution to establish a lottery. Resignations began to pile up in the presidents cabinet. Unable to achieve a victory, Bragg abandoned Murfreesboro and retreated toward Tullahoma to winter quarters. On April 12, 1861, following diplomatic bickering over Lincolns pledge to get supplies to Union troops at Fort Sumter, Confederate forces fired shots at the fort and Union troops surrendered, sparking the Civil War. [348] Parts of West Tennessee, especially Memphis, are sometimes considered part of the Deep South. Sheeler, J. Reuben. A vocal minority of Tennesseans spoke critically of the Northern states and the Lincoln presidency. [137] During Prohibition, illicit production of moonshine became extremely common in East Tennessee, particularly in the mountains, and continued for many decades afterward. The region thus came under Confederate control from 1861 to 1863. [11][12] That week, on February 9, the state of Tennessee was to vote on whether or not to send delegates to a State Convention that would decide on secession. The Conscript Bureau was closed in 1865, no longer able to find men to draft. [59] These settlers constructed Fort Nashborough, which they named for Francis Nash, a brigadier general of the Continental Army. Civilian violence had taken a heavy toll as well. The first has been in Republican hands continuously since 1881, and Republicans or their antecedents have held it for all but four years since 1859. [292] Cash receipts for crops and livestock have an estimated annual value of $3.5 billion, and the agriculture sector has an estimated annual impact of $81 billion on the state's economy. We earnestly beg your attention, therefore, to the following suggestions: [] We can, we must, carry our State. [249] Murfreesboro is the sixth-largest city and Nashville's largest suburb, with more than 150,000 residents. UT Martin and Tennessee Tech will remain in the OVC, while Peay will move to the ASUN. [66] The act allowed the territory to petition for statehood once the population reached 60,000. [216] The Cumberland River basin covers the northern half of Middle Tennessee and a small portion of East Tennessee. National Parks Service. [109] Despite Unionist sentiment in East Tennessee, Confederates held the area for most of the war. The Confederate president would serve for six years with no reelection possibility, but was considered more powerful than his Union counterpart. In a series of flanking maneuvers, his Union army forced Bragg to abandon Tullahoma and retreat toward Chattanooga. In 2016, the element tennessine was named for the state, largely in recognition of the roles played by Oak Ridge, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Tennessee in its discovery. [17], Tennessee derives its name most directly from the Cherokee town of Tanasi (or "Tanase", in syllabary: ) in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee, on the Tanasi River, now known as the Little Tennessee River. [194] The New Madrid Seismic Zone in the northwestern part of the state produced a series of devastating earthquakes between December 1811 and February 1812 that formed Reelfoot Lake near Tiptonville. Having been unable to elicit much support from Kentuckians, Bragg retreated into East Tennessee and then moved westward to Murfreesboro. [383] Known as "Tennessee's Main Street", I-40 serves the major cities of Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville, and throughout its entire length in Tennessee, one can observe the diversity of the state's geography and landforms. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. [444], Tennessee is home to four major professional sports franchises:[445] the Tennessee Titans have played in the National Football League (NFL) since 1997,[446] the Nashville Predators have played in the National Hockey League (NHL) since 1998,[447] the Memphis Grizzlies have played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 2001,[448] and Nashville SC has played in Major League Soccer (MLS) since 2020. The Confederacy used the U.S. Constitution as a model for its own, with some wording differences and a few changes regarding the executive and judicial branches. Tennessee State Senate, CC BY-ND Safeguarding slavery As we historians of the Civil War have tirelessly. Poorly designed and unfinished, the fort quickly fell after a barrage of cannon shells by the Union gunboats on February 6. Eligibility requirements included an inability to support oneself, honorable separation from the service, and residence in the state for one year prior to application. [197], Stretching west from the Blue Ridge Mountains for about 55 miles (89km) are the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also known as the Tennessee Valley[c] or Great Valley of East Tennessee. [359] The state Board of Education has 11 members: one from each Congressional district, a student member, and the executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), who serves as ex-officio nonvoting member. [4] In 2019, the state reported a total employment of 2,724,545 and a total number of 139,760 employer establishments. C. Goethall [? Problems with adequately arming the troops, as well as getting supplies to them, hampered war efforts. In the last decade, as Confederate History Month has attracted vocal opposition from the descendents of enslaved people, state proclamations have tended to include a denunciation of slavery coupled with . [147] The TVA built several hydroelectric dams in the state in the 1930s and 1940s, which inundated communities and thousands of farmland acreage, and forcibly displaced families via eminent domain. [35] General William Sherman's famous March to the Sea saw him personally escorted by the 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment, which consisted entirely of Unionist southerners. On February 23 Union troops entered Nashville, making it the first Confederate state capital to fall. "Secession and The Unionist Revolt,", This page was last edited on 28 May 2023, at 14:38. To suppress Confederate support, Johnson ultimately locked up the mayor and city council, closed four newspapers, and shut down the presses of the Methodist and Baptist churches.