Nashville, Battle of

During the American Civil War, Union victory over the Confederate army 15–16 December 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee. The Confederates were driven out of Tennessee and never threatened the state again.

After Atlanta fell to Union troops, a Confederate army of some 55,000 under General John B Hood (1831–1879) marched west towards Tennessee. Nashville was held by Union troops under General George H Thomas (1816–1870), with an advance guard at Franklin, about 32 km/20 mi south of the town. Hood fought a fierce battle against the advance guard, losing about 4,500 troops in the process, and the Union troops retired in good order to Nashville. Hood pursued, took up a position on the hills around the town and waited for Thomas to make the next move.

Thomas was held up by a sleet storm, but by 15 December the weather had improved and Thomas unleashed an attack all along the Confederate line. The assault on the right wing was repulsed, and the Confederates appeared to be holding up against the attack, but the Federal 16th Corps pierced the Confederate left just as a regiment of Union cavalry, having made a wide sweep around the left flank, fell on their rear. This broke the Confederates, who fell back across the Tennessee River, leaving behind about 2,000 dead and 5,500 prisoners. The pursuit continued for 13 days as far as Lexington, Alabama, although impeded by floods.