In November 1863, Confederate Gen. James Longstreet besieged Knoxville and Union Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside’s force there. Late in the month, after the Federal victory at Chattanooga, Gen. William T. Sherman led his corps north through largely Unionist Loudon County to Knoxville to relieve the siege, and his men bivouacked at several places in the county, transforming the countryside into an armed camp. After the war, a different kind of camp was established here when R. Peter Hughes sold land in 1873 for a campground for religious services. The campground’s records said that Christian men sought to promote religion, unite different denominations in fellowship, and allay feuds caused by the recent national conflict. Some trustees had been Confederates and others Unionists, but they put aside those loyalties to overcome the war’s bitterness and encouraged others to do the same. Originally called Union Campmeeting, the property was later named National Campground. The first meetings were held in a tent, and in 1874 the Tabernacle Shed was built from timber donated by neighboring farmers. It still stands as the only surviving original building. Thousands came by horse and wagon, with some staying for the full two weeks of continuous services. Meetings have been held annually since 1873, and today September services are held nightly on five consecutive evenings. The National Campground was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.