Bus tour of historic Clarksville launched the 4th annual Writers conference

By Bill Larson | July 13, 2008 |

On Thursday morning the 4th annual Clarksville’s Writers Conference began. The first event was a bus tour of historic locations throughout our city. Included in this years tour was Riverview Cemetery, Trinity Episcopal Church, The United Methodist Church, The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, and the historic Tip Top mansion owned by Elwyn and Rubye Patch.

The tour was organized by Dr Minoa Uffelman, a history professor at Austin Peay State University; and guided by Taylor Emery and Dr. Ellen Kanervo, who both did an excellent job keeping the group on plot and on schedule. As the tour progressed they read aloud excerpts from the diary of Nannie Haskins Smith about her life in Clarksville during the Civil War era.

Monday Morning February 16th `63
Again I have commenced a journal. I used to keep one but two years ago when the war broke out, I ceased to write in it just when I ought to have continued. Yes! Our country was then perfectly distracted; To arms! To arms! was echoed from every side; volunteer companies were being gotten up all over the country to fly to her rescue; and of course Clarksville did her part….

Haskins goes on in this to describe the mustering of two Clarksville regiments, the fall of Fort Donelson, Clarksville’s occupation, it’s brief reprieve from Woodward’s raid, and Col. S. D. Bruce’s recapture of the city.

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