Civil War Journey in Clarksville, Tenn.

Raising Troops
Clarksville had been adamantly in favor of
maintaining an intact Union. But the election of
Lincoln prompted seven Southern states to secede,
led by South Carolina who demanded that the U.S.
Army abandon posts in Charleston Harbor. A newly
formed Confederate army bombarded Fort Sumpter
on April 12, 1861, forcing the evacuation of Federal
troops. Lincoln immediately called for 75,000
volunteers from U.S. state militias to suppress the
rebellion and reclaim seized land and property.
Enraged Tennessee citizens saw it as a demand for
them to subjugate Confederate states. Four more
states, including Tennessee, left the Union and the
Civil War had begun.
Confederate Training Camps
Kentucky originally declared neutrality, forcing its
Southern sympathizers across state borders to join
the Confederacy. Between May-July 1861, Camps
Boone, Burnett and Breckinridge (later called Camp
Quarles and Hampton Station) were established in
Montgomery County, 1-4 miles from the state line.
These camps mustered the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ky.
Inf. regiments. Camp Forbes,
renamed Camp Duncan, formed
at the fairgrounds; and Camp
Rives formed at Noah Springs,
now part of Fort Campbell.
Local Units
14th Tennessee Infantry
Organized by Col. William
Forbes in May 1861, the regiment
transferred to the Virginia theatre,
serving in the Army of Northern
Virginia and fighting in virtually
every major battle conducted by
Robert E. Lee including Pickett’s
Charge. Nearly 1,000 men served
in the 14th Tenn., yet only 40
remained alive and with the
regiment at Appomattox when
Lee surrendered.
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