Hello,
August 19th, 2013 – Our 53rd Meeting
The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, August 19th, 2013, in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park, a unit of Metro Parks, Nashville, TN. This is located off I-65 just south of downtown between 4th Avenue South and 8th Avenue South on Edgehill Avenue/Chestnut Avenue. Take Exit 81, Wedgewood Avenue, off I-65 and follow the signs to the Science Museum. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and is always open to the public. Members please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.
OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC: “Care and Comfort: Hospitals and Medical Care During Hood’s Tennessee Campaign”
John Bell Hood’s Tennessee Campaign was the last major Confederate offensive in the Western Theater. Moving into the state in November 1864, Hood tried to bag some Union
formations sent to delay him while General George Thomas built an army to defend Nashville. On November 30th, Hood attacked entrenched Confederates at Franklin suffering huge
losses. Afterwards he moved his army to lay siege to Nashville. Some of his command was sent to Murfreesboro to try and hold Union forces there engaging in the Battle of the
Cedars. On December 15-16, 1864, Thomas launched a massive offensive that smashed the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Hood fell back to Alabama being pursued the entire
way by Federal cavalry. All of this fighting left significant casualties from both sides to deal with from Nashville to the Alabama state line.
Men were placed in hospitals and many homes often overwhelming an area and creating their own set of problems for the victorious Federals to deal with. While medical care in 1864
was much better than it was in 1861, there was still a level of near barbarity involved by today’s standards. Yet the soldiers who were left behind would receive very competent care
partly thanks to Nashville’s medical history.
Local historian Brian Allison will give an overview of Civil War-era medicine during his speech, in particular the state of Tennessee’s military medicine in 1864. In particular, Allison will
discuss the various sites of military hospitals in the Nashville area and look at the healthcare through accounts of those who were treated in the system.
Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Brian Allison grew up fascinated by the rich historical heritage of the area around him. A graduate of Austin Peay State University in
Clarksville, he has worked in the history field for the better part of two decades. Most recently, he was the Curator of Travellers Rest Plantation & Museum in Nashville. An artist
and a storyteller, he enjoys breathing life into the forgotten stories of the past.
We hope that you will join us for this fascinating program.