Clarksville Civil War Roundtable to hold next meeting on October 16th, 2024

Clarksville, TN – The next meeting of the Clarksville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Wednesday, October 16th, 2024 at Fort Defiance Interpretive Center, our new home, 120 Duncan Street, off New Providence Boulevard. 

Turn onto Walker Street off New Providence Boulevard and then onto Duncan Street. Site markers are on New Providence Boulevard above and below the park.

The meeting begins at 7:00 pm and is always open to the public. 

Our Speaker and Topic – ”The Skirmish at Pine Bluff, TN. August 1864 and the 83rd Illinois Infantry”

The 83^rd Illinois Infantry formed in the northwestern part of the state in the Monmouth area.  Some of its men came from Knox College.  The regiment mustered into service on August 21st, 1862.  They soon moved to Cairo later that month and from there to Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in early September.  The Fort Henry to Clarksville region would be their home until later in 1864 when they moved to Nashville.

Unlike regiments that fought in numerous battles in the war, the 83^rd Illinois fought in only one of any size – the Third Battle of Dover in February 1863.  In that engagement, Confederate cavalry forces under Joseph Wheeler and Nathan Bedford Forrest, attacked the 83^rd Illinois and were repulsed. 

Afterwards, the 83^rd Illinois went on anti-guerrilla patrols along the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers which was important work since this region was part of the Union supply system going to Nashville and beyond. 

On August 19-20^th, 1864, men of the 83^rd Illinois fought a guerrilla unit near Pine Bluff on the Tennessee River.  This was several miles north of Fort Henry.  A certain soldier of the regiment was badly wounded but survived and moved west after the war was over.

Telling the tale of this fight and the 83^rd Illinois is the one and only Ski!  One of the finest local historians we are lucky to have, she will not only tell us about this fight but also about the book “Dear Eliza,” which is a collection of letters from 83^rd soldier Mitchell Thompson to his wife.  So far, this is the only book that exists on this unit.

We hope you will join us for some local history by one of our best local historians about a unit that served the Union in the Civil War.