The Surrender of Nashville

The next part of our story brings us to the East Bank of the Cumberland River. After the fall of Fort Donelson on February 16, 1862, Confederate General John Floyd fled to Nashville and warned city officials of the impending arrival of Union forces. For the next five days, fear and panic filled Nashville’s streets. Though Nashville remained a moderate city, with many supporting the Union, residents and officials braced for possible violence and destruction.

On February 23, Mayor Richard Boone Cheatham crossed the Cumberland River to meet with Federal officers. He attempted to surrender the city to Colonel John Kennett of the 4th Ohio Cavalry. Kennett, a volunteer officer, was unsure of military protocol and informed the mayor that he would need to await the arrival of General Don Carlos Buell. Buell arrived two days later and accepted the surrender of the city into Union hands. 

Just hours before the official surrender, additional Union troops under General William “Bull” Nelson landed at the wharf and marched to the State Capitol. The 6th Ohio Infantry Regiment raised the US flag over the capitol. Nashville resident and former merchant sea captain William Driver believed their flag was too small for such a large building. So, he volunteered his personal flag, which he had dubbed “Old Glory,” and it soon waved above the building. What a sight that must have been! You’ll learn more about William Driver at our City Cemetery stop later in the tour. 

Nashville was the first southern capital city to be captured and occupied by the Federal Army. President Abraham Lincoln appointed Andrew Johnson as the military governor. Johnson was a U.S. Senator from Tennessee who had remained loyal to the Union and had served as governor in the mid 1850s. Nashville was occupied for the remainder of the war and served as the logistical hub and strategic center for all Federal military operations in the Western Theater. 

Self-guided and guided tours of the State Capitol are available Monday through Friday. Contact the Tennessee State Museum for more details. Take our East Nashville tour, to see the former site of the Fuller Home—where local banker Charles Fuller hosted negotiations for the surrender. Our next stop is Lindsley Hall. Learn more about Rutledge Hill area on our New South Nashville tour.

From Titans Way, continue along the loop around Nissan Stadium onto Victory Avenue. Take the second RIGHT onto South Second Street then turn RIGHT onto Shelby Avenue/Korean Veterans Boulevard. Continue ahead over the river for about a half mile and take the first LEFT onto Hermitage Avenue. Then turn RIGHT onto Middleton Street. Your next stop—Lindsley Hall—will be on your left. There is street parking or you can park in the lot in front of the Children’s Theater.