In 1864, the Federal army established Camp Gillem to protect the locomotive yard at Gillem Station on the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad. Both were named for Gen. Alvan C. Gillem, who commanded troops guarding and constructing the railroad. Born in Gainesboro in Jackson County in 1830, Gillem graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1851, fought against the Seminole Indians, served on the Texas frontier, became colonel of the 10th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry (US) in May 1862, and was promoted to brigadier general in August 1863. Camp Gillem and its surrounding fortifications guarded a long trestle in the nearby valley, while Union patrols scouted the countryside for Confederate guerrillas seeking to attack vulnerable points along the railroad. Detachments of the 10th Tennessee Infantry patrolled the line until its completion, and the 8th Iowa and 12th Tennessee Cavalry regiments and the 12th, 13th, and 100th U.S. Colored Troops infantry regiments also defended the tracks and facilities. A small community grew up around Gillem Station during the war, and in 1886 it was renamed Tennessee City at the request of W.A. Schoenfield, a land speculator who bought several thousand acres nearby hoping to found a large city, but his plans never materialized.