Tennessee was extremely important to both sides during the Civil War because it was a vital strategic area, which could provide an offensive base for either side to launch attacks deeper into enemy territory. For the Confederates, it could provide a base to attack into Kentucky, a state both sides wanted; and in the early days of the war there was even talk among Southerners of launching an attack on St. Louis, Mo. from Tennessee. For the Union, Tennessee could prove a gateway into the heartland of the Confederacy, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The Mississippi River, the vital waterway of the war, ran through western Tennessee, and the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers opened up the heart of the Confederacy to Union offensives in any direction. This was why the Ft. Henry and Ft. Donelson campaigns early in 1862 were such important victories for the Union. Furthermore, Tennessee was a divided state, with strong Union support in the mountainous, eastern part of the state. Keeping the state loyal to the Confederacy was important for Jefferson Davis' Richmond government. Tennessee had not been a strong advocate of secession, only taking that step after Lincoln called for an invasion of the South.

Tennessee provided numerous regiments of troops in the war, the majority of them for the Confederacy. The eastern side of the state, however, did provide some Union troops who would fight their brethren in the war. For biographies of some of the significant individuals in the war from Tennessee, check out this page: http://members.aol.com/jweaver303/tn/tnbio.htm. If the experiences of Tennessee soldiers would be helpful, I recommend the book "Company Aytch," by Sam Watkins, who served in the Confederate 1st Tennessee Regiment.

There were many battles that took place in Tennessee during the Civil War. Probably the five most significant were Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Franklin, and Nashville. This page contains links to web sites regarding these, and several other Tennessee engagements: http://members.aol.com/jweaver303/tn/tncwlink.htm.

As with most Southern states, life and economy in Tennessee suffered severe disruption. Union occupation of the state all but ended slavery, although some areas of the state were excluded from Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Tennesseans were often caught in the path of battles and campaigns, which put them under a strain to keep up their livelihood, particularly after the Union armies began practicing total warfare. The fact that most of Tennessee was occupied by Federal armies early in the war prevented them from suffering some of the devastation that Georgia and South Carolina experienced, but the people and economy still suffered greatly.