In the winter of 1863-1864, after abandoning the siege of Knoxville, Confederate Gen. James Longstreet took command of Confederate forces in Upper East Tennessee and chose Russellville as his winter quarters because of its location on the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad between Morristown and Bull's Gap. He and his staff established headquarters in the William Nenney House, using first-floor rooms as their command center, while soldiers built hut camps along the railroad and from the Holston to the Nolichucky Rivers. Longstreet's cavalry held a defensive line from Rutledge to the south and Dandridge to the east, and his staff worked to feed and supply about 25,000 men by taking control of most of the area's mills and tanneries; Cain Mill near Russellville ground corn day and night for the army, and the local Methodist church served as a hospital. After Union forces defeated part of his command at Mossy Creek on December 29, 1863, extreme cold on January 1 prevented the Federals from pursuing their victory and also stopped the Confederates from advancing. Other engagements followed as both sides tested defenses and foraged in the countryside, including Bean's Station, Hay's Ferry, Dandridge, Fair Garden, and Blant's Hill. Although the Federals were more numerous and better supplied, Longstreet remained in control of the area until after February 26, 1864, when the Confederates moved to Greeneville. The headquarters building was originally known as the Nenney House and was built late in the 1830s for William Nenney, whose family were prominent farmers and merchants in the Russellville area.