Rediscovering Fort Sanders : The American Civil War and Its Impact on Knoxville's Cultural Landscape

Charles H Faulkner

ISBN 10: 1621904814 / ISBN 13: 9781621904816

Published by University Of Tennessee Press Sep 2020, 2020

About this Item

Neuware - 'What begins here as a scholarly investigation into a Civil War-era fort opens onto a new view of present-day Knoxville, the historic Fort Sanders community adjacent to the University of Tennessee campus, and the city's commemoration and memory of the fort. Using historical-archaeological methods, Terry Faulkner and Charles H. Faulkner uncover remnants of the fort, exposing a small error in the historic location and present-day commemoration. More importantly, this book is the first scholarly treatment of Fort Sanders and its history since Digby Seymour's 1963 publication Divided Loyalties, and brings the story of Fort Sanders into the twenty-first century'.

Seller Inventory # 9781621904816

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Rediscovering Fort Sanders : The American Civil War and Its Impact on Knoxville's Cultural Landscape
• Publisher: University Of Tennessee Press Sep 2020
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1621904814
• ISBN 13: 9781621904816
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 234W x 163H x 33D millimeters 234 millimeters width by 163 millimeters height by 33 millimeters depth
• Weight: 732 grams

About this title

Synopsis

In the fall of 1863, Knoxville came under Union occupation, and troops went immediately to work to strengthen existing defenses and construct new ones. The most important of these was the earthwork atop a hill west of the city that came to be known as Fort Sanders. The fort would be the site of a critical battle on November 29, in which General James Longstreet’s Southern forces mounted a bold but ill-conceived assault that lasted only twenty minutes yet resulted in over eight hundred Rebel casualties. The completion of the fort under General Davis Tilson would safeguard Knoxville from further attack for the rest of the war.

Rediscovering Fort Sanders is a unique book that combines a narrative history of pre-Civil War Knoxville, the war years and continuing construction of Fort Sanders, the failed attempts to preserve the postwar fort, and the events which led to its almost total destruction. Research by Terry and Charles Faulkner resulted in two major discoveries: the fort was actually located a block farther to the west then previously recognized, and there are still identifiable remnants of the fortification where none were believed to exist.

More than just a chronicle of a significant chapter in Civil War and postwar history, this book will inspire others to continue the effort to ensure that the site and remains of Fort Sanders are preserved and properly commemorated for future generations.

About the Author

Terry Faulkner, a history and art major, graduated from the University of Tennessee and was for many years a graphic artist in the Department of Transportation. She has published numerous articles on local history.

Charles H. Faulkner is professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee. He is the author of several books, including, most recently, Massacre at Cavett's Station: Frontier Tennessee during the Cherokee Wars.