Fort Negley

Written by Hannah M.  

Age 14

Posted on April 2012

Fort Negley was built in 1862 in Nashville, Tennessee. The fort itself was 180,000 sq. feet. The architect and supervisor’s name was James St. Clair Morton.

When Confederate forces lost control of Nashville, The Union almost immediately began preparations for their defense. The largest of the fortifications was fort Negley. Fort Negley is a star shaped limestone block structure atop a hill south of the city. It cost $130,000 to build the entire thing. The workers for this project were mostly slaves. Slaves fled to Nashville once The Union had taken over knowing their status would be revoked if they worked for the Union. 2,768 slaves were enrolled in its construction, and 600-800 men died and only 310 received pay. The fort was named after The Union Army commander James S. Negley.

When the Battle of Nashville finally began in December 1864, it was largely fought south of the city than Fort Negley. Even though it had an impressive appearance Fort Negley never played a leading military role. Not long after the war the fort was abandoned and fell into ruin.

Fort Negley is now a Park you can visit and learn more about civil war history.

It would be very good for kids to visit Fort Negley in Nashville TN. The Museum is very educational and has a lot of good information! Visit their website at Fort Negley.

Defending Nashville: The Story of  Fort Negley