BUY Rebel Flags For SaleFort Defiance in Clarksville, Tennessee, hosted a Civil War Recruitment Day in 2016, a family event that let visitors learn about the war and even step into the role of a new recruit. What makes the event special is the setting: it takes place on the grounds of a real Civil War fort, which gives the day an authentic feel you cannot get anywhere else.
A Confederate Fort on the Cumberland
Fort Defiance was built by Confederate soldiers in 1861 on a high bluff overlooking the point where the Red River flows into the Cumberland River. Its guns were meant to protect Clarksville and the river route to Nashville from Union gunboats.
In February 1862, after Union forces captured Fort Donelson about 30 miles away, Confederate troops abandoned Clarksville, and the fort fell into Union hands. Federal troops occupied it for the rest of the war and renamed it Fort Bruce. Its earthworks, still visible today, are some of the best-preserved in Middle Tennessee.
Recruitment Day
At Recruitment Day, visitors got a taste of what it was like to join the army in 1861. Reenactors showed new “recruits” how to march, stand in formation and handle a musket, and explained what a soldier carried in his knapsack and haversack. Living history demonstrations covered camp life, cooking, medicine and the daily routine of a soldier.
Visiting Fort Defiance
Today the site is Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center, run by the City of Clarksville. Visitors can walk trails through the earthworks, take in the view of the rivers and explore exhibits on the soldiers, townspeople and enslaved and freed people whose lives were changed by the war. It is a great stop for anyone traveling through Tennessee with an interest in history.
Read more about the soldiers of the war in The Civil War Private, and find flags for your next event in our Confederate flag collection.
Source: The Leaf-Chronicle: Fort Defiance to host Civil War Recruitment Day
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