Topic: Civil War

The Friends of Fort Defiance holding Living History Encampment at Rotary Park

By Bill Larson | August 29, 2009 |

The Friends of Fort Defiance

With Fort Defiance being closed due to the construction of the new interpretative center, the Friends of Fort Defiance were forced to move the Living History Encampment, one of their signature events to Rotary Park this year.

The primary purpose of the Living History Encampment is to educate people about the history of Clarksville, and the Civil War. Many people living in Clarksville know absolutely nothing about the history of our city, something the friends of Fort Defiance hope to change. Clarksville is located in an area of intense activity during the Civil war,   with Fort Donelson and Fort Henry  in nearby Stewart County, and the city of Nashville just a short distance up river.  Fort Defiance was intended to help guard the river approaches to Nashville.

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The Tennessee Convict War

August 16, 2009 |

The logo of the Correctional Corporation of America

In 1997 the Tennessee branch of the AFL-CIO made an agreement with the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) to support the privatization of Tennessee’s state prison system. This opened the door for Tennessee’s prison labor being used to compete with private industry.  Currently the highest-paying prisoner in Tennessee earns 50 cents an hour to produce jeans for K Mart and JC Penney, among other things.

Of all the states, Tennessee unions should have been the last ones to support prison labor. The reason lies more than a century in the past, in the days following the end of slavery. «Read the rest of this article»

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History Conference coming to APSU

September 18, 2008 |

Austin Peay State University is hosting the 24th annual  Ohio Valley History Conference on October 31 and November 1.  Six universities rotate hosting the conference:  Murray State University, Western Kentucky University, Eastern Kentucky University, East Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University and APSU.

John Seigenthaler, Sr.

John Seigenthaler, Sr., host of NPT’s “A Word on Words,” will give the keynote address on Oct. 31 and a professor from Tennessee State University will speak about music and the Civil Rights movement at the Saturday luncheon.

The two day interdisciplinary event will consist of approximately 45 different sessions. Most sessions consist of three papers followed by commentary and question and answers.  Professors and advanced graduate students from across the United States will present papers of original research on a variety of historical topics. «Read the rest of this article»

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Civil War Army-Navy Exhibit on display July 4-6 at Fort Donnelson

July 2, 2008 |

Dover, Tennessee — Collectors and amateur historians alike will enjoy a weekend of Civil War naval and army artifacts and replica gunboats. The Army-Navy Exhibit returns to Fort Donelson National Battlefield, July 4-6.

Kraig Lawson and Jack Barnhart, owners of the collection, will display their collection in the Visitor Center, located on Hwy 79 in Dover. This exhibit contains personal items from U.S. soldiers, army and navy uniforms, and relics from the ironclad the USS Cairo (recovered in 1963). Lawson will also display one of his replica model ironclad gunboats, which take approximately 3-5 years to construct. «Read the rest of this article»

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Civil War encampment at Fort Defiance

By Christine Anne Piesyk | June 8, 2008 |

Despite the hot muggy weather, Civil War re-enactors donned heavy Union and Confederate uniforms for a gathering and simulated battle at Fort Defiance Saturday; the event continues through Sunday afternoon. Although Clarksville history does not record such a battle, the re-enactors offered a glimpse of history, emulating battles fought in other parts of the south in the War Between the States.

Cannon fire [Photo by Mark Haynes]

A highlight of the day was cannon fire; In the heat of the afternoon, soldiers tamped the powder into the cannon and loaded it, pulling the trigger from a short distance away, flinching from the boom and the smoke as each shot was fired. «Read the rest of this article»

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Experts examine Dunbar Cave graffiti; questions asked, answered

By Debbie Boen | January 12, 2008 |

When you see the amount of graffiti on the walls inside Dunbar Cave, you can’t help but feel shameful about that horrible violation to the cave.

Thousands of scribbled signatures cover the fragile walls of this living underground environment. One visitor commented, “I wonder if there was a time when each person was handed a marker as they were going into the cave?” Visitors also see little of natural stalactites or stalagmites; many of them were taken down either through vandalism or for grinding up into mineral waters.

Nathan Smith, David Britton and Ranger Adam Neblett

A one-quarter mile length of cave on the tour shows very tiny drips of new growth on the ceilings and floors. The cave owners since 1973, the State of Tennessee, have been preserving the cave from vandalism. «Read the rest of this article»

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