Nashville National Cemetery

The Nashville National Cemetery is significant and is an important component of the multiple property submission of Civil War Era National Cemeteries. It is significant under Criterion A because of its association with the Civil War.

Nashville was an important city during the war years, being the capital of Tennessee, a secessionist state, but one in which there was considerable sentiment for the Union cause. Its location on the Cumberland River and its position as one of the foremost railroad centers of the South made Nashville a site of prime importance in the military plans of Union and Confederate forces. Federal armies held Nashville for most of the last three years of the war and, during that time, it became one of the chief supply bases for the Union forces. Coincident with its mission as a supply base for the sinews of war in the form of men and materiel, Nashville and its environs saw the establishment of an extensive system of military hospitals to care for the sick and wounded of the war.

The strategic position of the City of Nashville as a vital and important supply depot made it the objective of a daring counter offensive by the forces of the Confederacy during the final months of 1864.

By the end of October, General John B. Hood's Army of Tennessee was at Florence, Alabama, and on November 19, it began its forward movement across the Tennessee. As yet, neither General George Thomas nor Major General John M. Schofield was strong enough to oppose Hood, but reinforcements were on the way. On November 21, Hood's army marched north crossing the border into southern middle Tennessee, where Hood hoped to interpose himself between General George Thomas at Nashville and General John Schofield's 23,000 troops at Pulaski, 30 miles south of Columbia. Both armies raced for Columbia, but Schofield's arrived first and threw a heavy line of breastworks around the south of town. On November 29 Hood caught up with Schofield at Spring Hill, just south of Franklin; that night while Hood was asleep Schofield escaped through the Confederate lines to Franklin. Schofield reached Franklin, fifteen miles farther north, at noon on November 30, 1864, and began strengthening some already existing earthworks. When complete, these rebuilt Federal breastworks had exterior ditches and earthen walls topped with protective head logs. When Hood learned of Schofield's escape, he became furious, blaming his subordinates for this failure. He mercilessly marched his army at quick time until they reached the rim of Winstead Hill, south of Franklin, about 2:00 p.m. on November 30. He decided to make the fight which was vigorously denounced by the majority of his generals. At 3:00 p.m., Hood ordered a direct frontal assault of the Federal works, marching about eighteen Confederate infantry brigades across the open fields in front. As the Confederate line reached the main works, a portion managed to breach the defenses near the center, but reserve forces under General Emerson Opdycke were soon able to plug this gap. Much hand to hand combat ensued until the battle came to a halt. That night, Schofield quietly pulled his army out of Franklin, leaving behind his dead and wounded. The best estimate of Hood's losses at Franklin is approximately 7,000 men, including 1,750 killed on the field, about 4,500 wounded, and another 702 taken prisoner. Within five hours, at least one-third of the Confederate infantry sent into battle was lost. There were five Confederate generals killed outright, and another died of wounds a few days later. Five others received lesser wounds and a twelfth was captured. Ninety field officers became casualties, and in one brigade, only a captain was left to command. Among those killed was 36-year-old Major General Patrick Cleburne, the "Stonewall Jackson of the West." By contrast, the Federals lost only 2,326 men, of which 189 were killed.

After Franklin, Schofield withdrew to Nashville, where General Thomas was rapidly building up a force strong enough to take the offensive. Hood followed and, on December 2, had his army in position south and east of the city, astride the Franklin Pike and the railroad to Chattanooga. The reinforcements which Grant had arranged for were coming in rapidly, and within a few days Thomas had a force of close to 70,000 men to deal with about 19,000 under Hood. There were two lines of earthworks encircling the city of Nashville. An inner line close to the city limits was seven miles long and was supported by twenty artillery batteries. A longer outer line rested on a range of hills running through the outskirts of town. General Thomas placed approximately 55,000 of his troops on this outer or front line while some 5,000 soldiers of the Quartermaster's Corps were given the job of defending the inner works. A cavalry force of over 10,000 troopers was assembled to support the infantry. There was a two-week period of inactivity on the part of General Thomas, who blamed his unwillingness to attack the Confederates as due to ice and snow storms and his shortage of horses to remount his cavalry. General Grant sent Thomas a point blank order to attack. Meanwhile, Grant had become impatient to the point of ordering Major General John A. Logan to proceed to Nashville to supersede Thomas. On the 14th the weather cleared, and Thomas moved out. The first day of the battle began when Thomas's blue lines slowly edged their way through heavy fog and, with about 35,000 men, struck Hood's left. Hood's right flank was held in position by more Union forces. The Federal onslaught was almost irresistible, driving the gray-clad veterans more than a mile to the rear, where they held on the Franklin Pike, but barely. The weather was foul, with melting ice. Both lines were adjusted somewhat during the night.

At about 6:00 on the morning of December 15, 1864, in a dense fog, General James B. Steedman's division led the Federal attack by hitting the lunette and its attached lines on the Confederate far right. In spite of several desperate charges, these troops, composed largely of members of the United States Colored Infantry, were not able to turn the Confederate right, but by keeping General Benjamin F. Cheatham's Confederate troops occupied all day, they fulfilled their assigned role of carrying out a diversionary attack.
By the morning of December 16, Hood had reduced his previous five-mile line of defenses to three. Even as he prepared to make another stand, he took the precaution, to the dismay of his troops, of sending his wagon trains to Franklin in case of defeat. At 4:00 p.m., General Thomas launched a combined assault. General John McArthur's and General Darius N. Couch's commands, operating from behind (hastily built earthworks) spontaneously attacked the Confederate left on the slopes of Shy's Hill. This, combined with attacks by General Schofield's corps to the west and Wilson's dismounted cavalry (carrying Spencer repeating carbines) to the south of Shy's Hill led to the collapse of the Confederate left wing. As the left was overrun, the middle soon gave way, followed by the fall of the far right on Peach Orchard Hill. Thomas had engaged about 55,000 men and suffered 3,600 casualties, mostly wounded (2,562). Hood's force had a little over 20,000 men, and he lost 4,500 captured and another 1,500 killed and wounded. Nashville was perhaps the most complete victory of the entire war, for it utterly destroyed Hood's army.

National Cemetery System files contained a handwritten paper from Archives File 1865 regarding the site chosen for the Nashville National Cemetery. It reads as follows:

"During the War

On or about 1 March 1862, W.R. Cornelius, Undertaker, was ordered by Capt. Gillem, OQM, to bury the U.S. Soldiers who died in the Hospitals in the southern portion of the City Cemetery, situated on the west side of Cherry St., S. Nashville and containing about 5 acres, being the same grounds formerly used by the Confederate Government for the burial of their dead. When these premises were exhausted, the said Cornelius was directed by Capt. Lamb, OQM, to bury the deceased soldiers at a point between the N & C and T & ARR's in a small triangular piece of ground containing about 3 acres located near the above burial grounds. When this was exhausted the said Cornelius made application on 11 Apr. 1864 to Capt. Jno F. Isom AAQM for more ground when he, Capt. Isom and the Medical Director, Surgeon Clendinen (?) selected the grounds situated on the west side of Cherry St. and south of the Nashville Chattanooga R.R. which was still in use in 1865. This contained approx. 11 acres with a total of 14, 484 interments.