View of a Military Post Cowan, Tennessee

On July 3, 1863, the Confederate Army of Tennessee retreated towards Chattanooga, after its defeat in the Tullahoma Campaign, leaving Middle Tennessee under the control of the Union Army of the Cumberland. A military post was maintained at Cowan by Federal forces throughout the remainder of the war. The town was strategically important to both sides due to its proximity to the Cumberland Mountain Tunnel, which linked the railroads in the Midwest to those in the Southeast. This print depicts the soldiers’ dormitories and a defensive fortification contracted by the Union Army. A transport train prepares to leave the post. The name “Rosencrans” is written on the side, in honor of General William Rosencrans, the leader of the Army of the Cumberland.

The artist of the print was Nathan B. Abbott, a Union soldier from Connecticut who served in the 20th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. He was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg and was promoted to first lieutenant when he rejoined his regiment. He most likely passed through Cowan while traveling to take part in Sherman’s campaigns in Georgia. The print was produced and published by Henry C. Eno, a New York City lithographer active for only a short period during the 1860s. Between 1862 and 1867, he was partnered with another New York lithographer, Henry A. Thomas.

Currently not on view