Nashville was the first Confederate capital to fall to Union forces during the American Civil War in 1862. Over the next two years, the Union Army fortified Nashville with over seven miles of fortifications, forcing formerly enslaved people to work on projects such as Fort Negley. In December 1864, the Confederate Army of Tennessee attempted to retake Nashville from the Union Army of the Cumberland. Confederates established a skirmish line from west to east across the Sunnyside property. The Union attacked this advanced position from the west and north on December 15, driving the Confederates south to their main position. Confederates retreated farther south and were defeated the next day. Nashville remained under Union control for the rest of the war. Evidence of the battle at Sunnyside includes damage to the building still visible on the front porch, a rifle pit, and Civil War artifacts documented archaeologically. In 2023, the Metro Nashville Police Department documented damage to the cabin, including 44 bullet strikes, and detailed scans allowed a reconstruction of the actions at Sunnyside on December 15, 1864.
