"That hallowed spot!" Commemoration and Memorialization at Chattanooga's Confederate Cemetery

Last week, my wife, Traci, had the honor to be a part of a panel discussion on the topic of "Commemoration and Memorialization" at the Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Signature Event in Chattanooga. Organizers of this four-day symposium presented an outstanding program, with my professional colleagues from the Tennessee State Library and Archives playing a critical role in the festivities. Traci and I are grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this historic event.

Traci's presentation on the last day of the symposium focused on the Confederate Cemetery in Chattanooga, and how religion influenced commemoration ceremonies held there over the years. The topic tied in quite nicely with themes documented in her book, Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War. Traci provided an overview of the history of the cemetery, and shared insights about how the soldiers buried there were remembered throughout the years.

The history surrounding the Confederate Cemetery dates back to 1862 when numerous Confederate casualties began arriving in Chattanooga hospitals. Most of the graves are of soldiers who died in hospitals in Chattanooga from wounds received in the Battle of Stones River (Second Battle of Murfreesboro) and from sickness and wounds incurred in the campaigns from January to September 1863, when Chattanooga was evacuated by the Confederate troops. Those men who died in Chattanooga Confederate Hospitals were originally buried in a plot of ground located near the Tennessee River, but frequent flooding washed over many of those graves and wooden headboards were lost for about 141 of them.

This monument to "Our Confederate Dead"
at the Confederate Cemetery was erected in 1877.
Author photo.

After the war, veterans of the Civil War and the Confederate women of Chattanooga sought to move the graves to higher ground. As early as 1867, veterans groups acquired land for the upper half of the cemetery’s current location near the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga -- my undergrad alma mater. Sources have estimated that as many as 2,500 soldiers were eventually buried in the cemetery.

The Confederate Cemetery was the site of several memorial services, and Chattanooga served as the site of the First National Reunion of the United Confederate Veterans in 1890. In the years that followed, many more reunions took place there, and the cemetery became an important part of the Civil War commemoration and memorialization ceremonies.

The last burial at the Confederate Cemetery occurred in 2001, after a soldier's remains were found during an excavation project on Missionary Ridge. A memorial service took place on April 21, 2001 with full military honors. About 80 people took part in a service at Christ Church Episcopal on the night before the burial. About 250 more turned out for the reinterment ceremony, many wearing both Union blue and Confederate gray, and traveling as far away as Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana to take part in the service.

After decades of neglect, in 1995 the Chattanooga Confederate Cemetery was restored through the combined efforts of the City of Chattanooga and members of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans and the Military Order of the Stars and Bars, the latter two groups having raised funds for the restoration. Author photo.

I want to publicly thank Tennessee's State Historian, Dr. Carroll Van West, members of the Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, and the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, all of whom helped make Traci's appearance at this Signature Event possible.

Traci Nichols-Belt is the author of Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War, published by The History Press. Traci holds a Master's degree in public history from Middle Tennessee State University and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Anderson University. Her principal research interest is the Civil War, with a particular focus on the impact of religion on the military. Traci has appeared on radio and television to speak about the role of religion in the Civil War, and she has had her writings published in the Tennessee Historical Quarterly and in The New York Times Civil War blog, Disunion.

Signed copies of Onward Southern Soldiers are now available!

Copies of Onward Southern Soldiers have arrived from our publisher, The History Press, and we're eager to sign them!

You can now order a signed copy of Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War directly from us through my blog, The Posterity Project. Simply go to our order page and select the PayPal option. Cover price is $19.99 plus shipping and handling costs.

I'd also like to let readers of The Posterity Project know that we are planning a few book signing events in the very near future, so be on the lookout for information about that and more on our Onward Southern Soldiers Facebook page.

Thanks to all who have expressed interest in this project. Traci and I genuinely appreciate your support!

Gordon Belt and Traci Nichols-Belt are a husband and wife team of authors and public historians. Together, they have collaborated on two books. Traci Nichols-Belt is the author of Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War. Her book explores the significant impact of religion on the Army of Tennessee, C.S.A., on every rank, from generals to chaplains to common soldiers. Gordon Belt is the author of John Sevier: Tennessee’s First Hero, which focuses on the life and legend of Tennessee’s first governor, John Sevier. Both books are published by The History Press, an award-winning publisher of local and regional history titles from coast to coast. Gordon and Traci’s writings focus specifically on stories from their home state of Tennessee.

A sneak peek at our book cover...

It's been a while since my last update on our book project, Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War. Traci and I have been busy reviewing our finals edits and a proof copy of our book, but now all of that has been completed and we're anxiously awaiting publication.

As you can imagine, we're both very excited to see this project enter its final stage. We're anticipating a late-summer release date. When we get an exact date of publication, I'll let everyone know through The Posterity Project.

In the meantime, I would like to share with you a proof copy of the cover of our book, featuring the artwork of renowned Civil War artist, Mort Künstler...

The History Press has done a great job of working with us throughout the publishing process. Traci and I are both very pleased with the results. I'm looking forward to sharing more news about Onward Southern Soldiers in the coming days.


Traci Nichols-Belt is the author of Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War, published by The History Press. Traci holds a Master's degree in public history from Middle Tennessee State University and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Anderson University. Her principal research interest is the Civil War, with a particular focus on the impact of religion on the military. Traci has appeared on radio and television to speak about the role of religion in the Civil War, and she has had her writings published in the Tennessee Historical Quarterly and in The New York Times Civil War blog, Disunion.

Onward Southern Soldiers: A prelude of things to come...

Today - April 12th - marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, and over the course of the next four years you will probably read countless stories about how this major event in United States history will be remembered. One such story that has yet to be told is the role that religion played within the Army of Tennessee, C.S.A. Though scholars have written broadly about how religion influenced the actions and outcomes of the Civil War, no one has taken the opportunity to delve deeply into the religious spirit of the Confederate Army of Tennessee -- until now.

“Prayer in Stonewall Jackson's camp” inspired by an etching by Adalbert John Volck, 1828-1912.

While working towards her Master's degree in History at Middle Tennessee State University, my wife, Traci Nichols-Belt, wrote her thesis on this very subject. Work on "Onward Southern Soldiers: A Study of the Connection Between Religion and the Common Soldier in the Army of Tennessee, C.S.A." began when Traci entered graduate school in the fall of 1999. That fall she chose the broad subject of religion and the Civil War as the subject for her thesis. She continued her research and the further definition of the scope of this subject throughout her graduate studies, completing her thesis in the spring of 2003.

Using primary sources -- through diaries, letters, journals, memoirs, and sermons -- "Onward Southern Soldiers" examines the personal writings and experiences of Confederate military and religious leaders, chaplains, and common soldiers, to discover how the message of religion delivered by the Confederate hierarchy played out in their personal lives. Traci's intentions from the onset of her research were always to publish this work in a somewhat expanded form. A chapter from this thesis, "Chaplains in the Army of Tennessee, C.S.A.: Warring Disciples Carrying the Gospel," was published in the Winter 2004 issue of the Tennessee Historical Quarterly, but personal family obligations made it necessary for Traci to set this work aside for a number of years. This year, however, the Civil War Sesquicentennial has provided an exciting motivation and timing to complete the work which Traci began so long ago.

Over the next several weeks, I'll be working with Traci to publish her thesis as a book, making it available to a wider audience. Details are in the works, but I'm planning to share more information on this blog about this book in a build-up to the publication date. Blog posts may be less frequent than readers are accustomed to seeing, but in the end I think my time spent editing Traci's book will be well worth it. I'm thrilled to be working with my wife on this project, and I hope you'll stay tuned to The Posterity Project for future updates!




Traci Nichols-Belt is the author of Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War, published by The History Press. Traci holds a Master's degree in public history from Middle Tennessee State University and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Anderson University. Her principal research interest is the Civil War, with a particular focus on the impact of religion on the military. Traci has appeared on radio and television to speak about the role of religion in the Civil War, and she has had her writings published in the Tennessee Historical Quarterly and in The New York Times Civil War blog, Disunion.