Camp Boone,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

was located on Guthrie Road/ ( Wilma Rudolph Boulevard)

U.S. Route 79 U.S. Route 79 (US 79) is a United States highway in the Southern United States. The route is officially considered and labeled as a north-south highway, but its path is actually more of a diagonal northeast-southwest highway. The highway's nort ...

near the

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

- Tennessee border at Clarksville,

Montgomery County, Tennessee Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 220,069. The county seat (and only incorporated municipality) is Clarksville. The county was created in 1796. Montgomery Count ...

(in the area formerly known as

Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee Saint Bethlehem or St. Bethlehem, also called "St. B" by locals, was an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Tennessee, located just northeast of downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, Clarksville. St. Bethlehem has been incorporated into Clark ...

before annexation by

Clarksville, Tennessee Clarksville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is the fifth-largest city in the state behind Nashville, Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 202 ...

). Kentucky had declared itself neutral in the war, and the site just inside Tennessee provided a place for pro-Confederate Kentuckians to organize their regiments without violating their state's neutrality. Camp Boone was laid out in early 1861 by three men who had been authorized to raise a

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

for

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

service. These were William T. Withers, Robert A. Johnson (of

Louisville, KY Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

) and James Moss (of Columbus, KY). They were soon joined by Robert J. Breckenridge, Jr., (of

Lexington, KY Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-larges ...

) and Lloyd Tilghman (of

Paducah, KY Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Missou ...

). Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed William Temple "Temp" Withers, a native of

and a

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

of the Mexican War then living in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, to assist with recruiting from

. Withers was temporarily given the rank

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

and placed in command of Camp Boone. Another early camp commander was

Simon Bolivar Buckner Simon Bolivar Buckner ( ; April 1, 1823 – January 8, 1914) was an American soldier, Confederate combatant, and politician. He fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War. He later fought in the Confederate States Army ...

, a colonel and later brigadier general, who would eventually become the 30th

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. Roger W. Hanson brought in a regiment of Kentucky State Guards, which then became the Confederacy's 2nd Kentucky Infantry Regiment. Other Kentucky units which had their start there included the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Kentucky Cavalry Regiments. The site chosen for Camp Boone was excellent. Its location was only 3.5 miles by road from the Kentucky-Tennessee state line, and slightly more than a mile from a

Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad The Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad (MC&L) was a railway in the southern United States. It was chartered in Tennessee in 1852, and opened in 1859. The MC&L entered receivership after the American Civil War, and financial troubles led ...

line that still in use today, owned and operated by the

R.J. Corman Railroad Group R. J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC is a privately owned railroad services and short line operating company headquartered in Nicholasville, KY, with field locations in 22 states. It was owned by Richard J. Corman, who established the company in ...

. Fresh water was obtained from Spring Creek, which was fed by a cool spring and flowed around the camp on two sides. Camp Boone was a major training site and staging area for the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

, and many of the Kentuckians who joined the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

began their service at Camp Boone.Louisville, (KY) Daily Courier, 11 July 1861, page 1 The

2nd Kentucky Infantry The 2nd Kentucky Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It was part of the First Kentucky Brigade. Service The 2nd Kentucky Infantry was organized in August 1861, at ...

mustered at Camp Boone 17 July 1861, commanded by

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

James B. Hawes of

, while the 3rd Kentucky Infantry mustered three days later under the command of

Lloyd Tilghman of

. A

Historical Commission marker #3C 40 marks the location of the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

camp today at US Highway 79 east (Guthrie Road)

References

{{Tennessee Orphan Brigade Confederate States Army Forts in Tennessee History of Tennessee 1861 establishments in Tennessee

See also

References