The American Civil War began with shots fired on Fort Sumter, a federal fort located in Charleston, South Carolina. President Lincoln had sent supplies to the fort but the ships were intersected and forced to sail back to New York. Soon after that Fort Sumter’s commander, Robert Anderson, was ordered to surrender. He didn’t at first but later surrendered and evacuated the fort and South Carolina forces took it.

Who knew then that those first volleys would begin the devastating conflict known as the American Civil War? Who knew that the United States of America that had been formed through blood, sweat and tears in a hard fought victory over Great Britain would soon see their country divided in loyalty: countrymen against countrymen and at times family members against family members?

I am not an expert on the Civil War, but I have tried to seek out information on Johnson County’s and East Tennessee’s involvement in that history defining conflict. I have a few books on the Civil War but two of the most informative ones are History of the 13th Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry by Samuel W. Scott and Samuel P. Angel and Adventures of Daniel Ellis the Union Guide written by Daniel Ellis.  More...