Famous Generals & Common Soldiers

UNIT 12: Civil War ENds

Lesson: Famous TENNESSEANS & Common Soldiers in the CIvil War

8.63 Explain the significance of the following battles, events, and leaders during the Civil War, including: David Farragut, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Robert E. Lee.

8.66 Analyze how the writings of Sam Watkins and Elisha Hunt Rhodes illustrated the daily life of the common soldier.

Famous Tennesseans on both sides of the conflict

Tennesseans rose to important positions on both sides during the Civil War.

DAVID FARRAGUT

David Farragut was born in 1801, near Knoxville Tennessee. He was adopted by naval officer and served on US Navy battleships during the War of 1812 by the time he was 11 years old! Farragut sided with the Union during the Civil War. Through his brave and skillful service, he rose to become the highest ranking officer in the U.S. Navy.

Farragut commanded the Union blockade of southern ports. He help capture the Confederate city of New Orleans and provided support for Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Vicksburg.

During an important battle at Mobile Bay in Alabama, Farragut led his fleet of ships through torpedo infested waters, famously yelling, "Damn the Torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" His courage in that battle led to one of the most remarkable naval victories of the Civil War.

NATHAN BEDFORD FORREST

One of the greatest calvarymen of the Civil War was Tennessee native Nathan Bedford Forrest. Born in Chapel Hill, forest became a wealthy businessman, selling land, cotton, and slaves. When war broke out, he joined the Confederate side.

He did not have a military background, but he became one of the most feared cavalry leaders in the Confederacy. He was known for sneaking up on Union forces, attacking, and retreating away. He is reported to have once said, I always make it a rule to get there first with the most men.

Forrest and his cavalry harassed Ulysses S. Grant’s troops at the Battle of Vicksburg, cutting out supplies and communications. Forrest's efforts helped him rise to the rank of Lieutenant General, The highest ranking military officer on either side of the war.

Nathan Bedford Forrest is one of the Civil War‘s most controversial figures. He was accused of leading a massacre of surrendered African-American Union soldiers at Fort Pillow, known as the Massacre of Fort Pillow. After the war, Forrest became a founding member of the Ku Klux Klan and its first supreme leader or "Grand Wizard."

Despite this, many people in the south celebrate him as a Confederate hero. The legacy of Nathan Bedford Forrest reflects the complicated history of the Civil War in the United States.

The daily lives of common soldiers

SAM WATKINS & "CO. AYTCH"

Sam Watkins rushed to join the Confederate side when Tennessee seceded from the Union in 1861. Born in Maury County Tennessee on June 26, 1834, Watkins came from a wealthy, slave holding family.

He served as a private in the First Tennessee Regiment throughout the entire war. Watkins participated in many battles, including the Battle of Shiloh.

Years after the war, he wrote a memoir of his experiences, titled "Company Aytch: The First Tennessee Regiment or a Side Show to the Big Show."

"Co. Aytch" stands for "Company H" which was the name of Watkins unit in the army. Watkins' remembrances are sometimes somber, sometimes humorous. They provide a rare look at the daily lives of the Confederate Soldiers.

ELIJAH HUNT RHODES

Elijah Hunt Rhodes was a soldier in the second Rhode Island Voluntary Infantry in the Union Army. He was born on March 21, 1842, in Cranston, Rhode Island. Rhodes enlisted as a private but rose quickly up the ranks to become commander of his unit.

He participated in many important battles, including the First Battle of Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Appomattox. Rhodes kept a diary throughout the war, which his great grandson later published. The diary describes the daily struggles of soldiers in the Union Army. As his regiment made his way to join the Battle of Gettysburg, he wrote this diary entry:

Rhodes diary reflects his changing attitude towards the Civil War. At first, Rhodes thought the war was a grand adventure. By the end, he grew tired of all the destruction and suffering he witnessed.

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