Fort Negley, Good News For A Tattered Veteran

Rhea Cole

Major
Joined
Nov 2, 2019
Location
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Fort Negley, Good News For A Tattered Veteran

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By far & away the most elaborate fortification built for the defense of Nashville was Fort Negley. The elaborate stone bastions & bunkers faced with rail road iron loomed over wartime Nashville. The signal station at Fort Negley, improbable as it may seem, was a treehouse. From there, visual signals could have been sent as far as Chattanooga in a hour & a half. The first shot of the Battle of Nashville was fired by a 30 pound Parrott from a bastion in Fort Negley.

After the war, the fort was left to return to nature. For a while, Kluxers held meetings there. During the Great Depression, Fort Negley was completely restored. As a child, a friend of mine stared out the window of his grade school classroom as the strategic materials used during the restoration were removed for the WWII war effort. Throughout my childhood, Fort Negley was a sort of magic castle overgrown with trees & vines.

Today, Fort Negley is a Meteor Nashville Park. Twenty years ago, a visitor center was erected. Historic markers mark the winding road up to the sally port. The maze of interlocking triangular spaces it opens up to is very impressive. The stone walls that make Fort Negley so singular among the earthen berm Civil War fortifications in the Nashville area, have seen better days. Rebuilt & repaired during the restoration, the rough blocks of limestone walls are in need of considerable work.

I am happy to report that in March 2021 Metro Nashville has allowed $1,00,000 for restoration work that Fort Negley desperately needs. It is a welcome recognition of how important Fort Negley is for the interpretation of Civil War Nashville.
 
After the devastating blast in Nashville in December we are lucky to have such a generous opportunity. The middle picture at the top I have never seen before. Thanks for sharing it.
Lubliner.
 
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