Most Endangered Battlefields 2008
Spring Hill, Tenn.
November 29, 1864
The engagement at Spring Hill came as Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood tried to prevent an isolated Union column from retreating to a stronger defensive position at nearby Franklin. Fighting began late in the day as the Federals stopped disorganized Confederate attacks. Hood’s troops finally gained a strategic position cutting off the Union retreat as darkness fell, but his subordinates received no further orders and failed to press their advantage.
The Confederates bivouacked for the night, leaving the road north to Franklin open and allowing the Union army to slip by. The next day the belligerents met again at Franklin in an unmitigated disaster for the Confederacy, which lost 6,200 soldiers, including six general officers, in one day.
Threat
Middle Tennessee is currently experiencing some of the most rapid development in the nation. The same expansion pressures from the Nashville suburbs that so damaged the Franklin battlefield are now at work in Spring Hill. Partnering with Maury County a decade ago, CWPT was able to preserve 110 acres, but decisive action and cooperation is needed to protect additional land before it is lost.
Throughout 2007, controversy swirled around General Motors’s plan to sell several hundred acres of land surrounding the antebellum Rippavilla Plantation as surplus. GM has volunteered to donate 100 of the more than 500 acres in question to the non-profit foundation responsible for running Rippavilla, as well as contributing $1 million over 10 years toward the historic home’s upkeep. The ultimate fate of the rest of the property remains in question.
CWSAC classified Spring Hill as a Priority I, Class B battlefield.
Resources for Spring Hill
- Spring Hill Battlefield
- Rippavilla Plantation
- Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association
- CWSAC Battle Summary of Spring Hill
MOST ENDANGERED BATTLEFIELDS:
Spring Hill, Tennessee
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