FEBRUARY 23, 1862:
In the
wake of Jefferson Davis’ inauguration in Richmond, Nashville, Tennessee is evacuated by Confederate troops. Governor
Isham Harris advises the citizenry to flee after destroying anything of value
in order deny its use to the arriving Union troops under Brigadier General Don
Carlos Buell.
Nashville thus becomes the first Confederate capital to yield to
the Union, and with it, western and central Tennessee revert to Union control.
The original Old Glory belonged to Captain William Driver of
the U.S. Navy, a Massachusetts man, who later settled in Tennessee. He became
somewhat of a legend for his naval exploits. When the Civil War erupted, Driver
stayed loyal to the Union and hid this flag, which he had flown from his ship,
from local "Rebs" seeking to burn it. When Union troops occupied
Tennessee, he broke the colors proudly over his home.
Eastern Tennessee remains nominally in Confederate hands, but the region is
populated by Unionists held in check under harsh martial law, and pro-Union
insurgents undermine Confederate control from within while Union military
maneuvers undermine Confederate control from without, despite ongoing guerrilla
strikes by Gray soldiery, and restive civilian populations.
Tennessee, though
it will be a major battleground State, effectively rejoins the Union.
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