Tennessee Civil War Trails

During the Civil War, Tennessee was marked by battles, divided loyalties, slavery, and emancipation. Some of the state's 275,000 enslaved men and women self-emancipated, and 20,000 self-liberated warriors fought for freedom in the U.S. Colored Troops. Communities were often torn by secession and slavery in a "war within a war" that left deep and lasting scars. Although Tennessee seceded and supplied 120,000 soldiers to Confederate armies, Union sentiment remained strong, especially in eastern Tennessee, and 31,000 white Tennesseans fought for the Union, more than in any other Confederate state. More battles were fought in Tennessee than in any state except Virginia, and the war touched houses, mills, small towns, and farms across the state.

Tennessee · United States