Topic: Fort Defiance

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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Seeking a true depiction of our history

June 27, 2008 |

“The Confederate fighting force was white, but much of its support was black.”

When historical fact collides with historical revision, details tend to become obscured.

The recent living history enactment at our own Fort Defiance/Bruce was embroiled in some controversy. The presence of African Americans as Confederate soldiers was highly disputed. Some claimed this an accurate representation of historical fact. Sadly, research has shown it was not quite so. The record shows that despite the obvious advantage such a measure would have given the South, the Confederate leadership steadfastly opposed slave emancipation and arming to defend the South.

Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne, CSA

One the Confederacy’s most brilliant strategists, Major General Patrick Cleburne, a division commander in the Army of Tennessee, in 1864, proposed freeing slaves who agreed to fight for the South. He was not a slave owner himself and cared nothing for slaves or the institution of slavery. He did, however, wish to secure the establishment of the Confederate States of America.

As Cleburne saw it, the South was denying itself a tactical resource which the Union Army was utilizing against it at every turn as it gained more territory and ground the South into otherwise inevitable defeat. In his proposal, Cleburne admitted that only way to win Black support of the Confederate cause was to grant freedom to the slave and his family.

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Civil War encampment at Fort Defiance

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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