On February 16th, the same day that the Confederates lost Fort Donelson, The Governor of Tennessee, Isham Harris and the Tennessee State Legislature fled Nashville and went further south, leaving the city open to Union occupation. About 13,000 captured Confederate soldiers at Fort Donelson were transported on steamboats to northern prison camps.

After the victory at the Battle of Fort Donelson, the Union Army spent a few days regrouping and preparing to head towards Nashville to take the city. On February 19th, the Union Army began moving towards Clarksville. They crossed the Cumberland River near Dover. The Union Navy with its gunboats began moving towards Nashville too.

Nathan Bedford Forrest, who had escaped capture at Fort Donelson, had come to Nashville to warn the citizens that the Union Army was coming.

Some of the pro-Confederate civilians decided to leave the city to hide in the countryside, while others who had no where else to go stayed. Confederate soldiers who had survived and escaped Fort Donelson were pouring into the city.

The people of Nashville were becoming unruly and started to riot.

Nathan Bedford Forrest and his men tried to establish order.

He began loading rail cars with supplies and sending them south down the railroad to Murfreesboro and Chattanooga. It is estimated that he and his men saved over 1,000 loads of supplies from the Union.

On February 23rd, a small group of Union soldiers arrived at the edge of the city (where Nissan Stadium stands today) and the Mayor of Nashville realized that the best thing to do was to surrender the city.

One day later on February 24th, the Mayor of Nashville met the Union Army at the edge of town on the banks of the Cumberland and unofficially surrendered the city. A small group of Union soldiers marched to downtown Nashville and raised the U.S. flag over the Tennessee State Capital.

The next day on February 25th, the Mayor officially surrendered the city to the Union Army. The Union Army crossed the river (where Nissan Stadium stands today), marched up Broadway to Church Street to the Courthouse Square while the band played "Dixie."

On March 3, 1862 President Abraham Lincoln appointed Andrew Johnson to be the new Military Governor of Tennessee.

Johnson allowed Federal Army officers to jail Confederate sympathizers and anyone who refused to comply with Johnson's orders.

Confederate guerrillas began attacking the Union Army in Nashville.

At first, Johnson ordered the Union Army not to harm or look to civilians in Nashville, but after the constant guerrilla attacks, he changed his mind and ended the restrictions.

Each time the guerrillas attacked Nashville, Johnson would order the Union Army troops to retaliate by by burning and looting nearby houses and businesses.

They even held local residents hostage until the guerrillas agreed to stop.

The Union soldiers were allowed to seize private property and take any supplies they needed.

After Nashville was taken over by the Union Army, Federal soldiers began to occupy the town and a supply depot was built.