In early November 1864 Nathan Bedford Forrest headed south up the Tennessee River with his makeshift “navy” of two captured ships. Headed toward Johnsonville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, November 2, 1864, the Venus engaged two Federal gunboats was driven ashore. The following day Forrest’s remaining vessel, the Undine, confronted three Union vessels at Johnsonville, but the three Union ships refused to engage in combat. So Forrest attacked Johnsonville on the 4th, shelling the city and its Union supply depot and doing an estimated $6.7 million of damage but losing the Undine during the engagement. Forrest’s raid against Johnsonville severely damaged Union General George Thomas’ drive against Confederate held Nashville and resulted in several Union officers at Johnsonville being censured for negligence in not adequately defending the Johnsonville supply depot.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.