This cache is one of 10 caches of the Cache in on Brentwood History placed by the Brentwood Historic Commission. The series features many of the Historical Interpretive Signs placed around Brentwood. Discover some of the fascinating history of Brentwood. The caches are hidden in Brentwood City Parks. If you are participating in the series, be sure to sure to download and print your passport All caches begin with the series name CBH followed by a location specific name. The Brentwood Historic Commission hopes you enjoy the tour!
Most Parks are open dawn to dusk but check specific Park hours. Follow Park hours-NO NIGHT CACHING.
Traditional Cache. This is not in a traditional Park but River Oaks Neighborhood. You must answer the questions below to find the cache lock code. Be sure to read the geocache history. If you trade for items from the Geocache, remember to trade items that are of equal or greater value. Be watchful of your speed and for children playing when driving through the subdivision. When approaching the geocache site start looking as there is distance variances in different GPS devices. Stop before the road ends or your car WILL get wet. City property is partly surrounded by a brown wooden fence. Park on the street near the fence and coordinates.
Historical Description: The Battle of Brentwood was a battle of the American Civil War, occurring on March 25, 1863 in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Prior to the Civil War the village of Brentwood was a thriving agricultural area. There were many slave holders and the plantations flourished as evidenced by the stately fields and homes. Most of the families around Brentwood sided with the Confederacy. Transportation through Brentwood included an improved Franklin Pike that had been” Macadamized” (hard surfaced) providing an all season route for transport including troops, artillery and supplies. Brentwood was also a station on the Nashville & Decatur Railroad (also called the Tennessee & Alabama Railroad) completed in 1859 that connected middle Tennessee with sites further south. The 1860 census noted only 9 structures in the village of Brentwood including a railroad depot and telegraph office. Nearby Nashville fell to Union forces in Feb 1862 and remained firmly in Union hands throughout the war while opposing armies clashed nearby. Franklin was in and out of Union hands several times while Spring Hill remained a strong confederate holding. Brentwood was caught in the middle and home to dozens of skirmishes often centered on foraging trains sent out from Nashville to plunder the local countryside.
Union forces garrisoned at Brentwood were intended to help support Franklin forces and secure the transportation corridors which included the strategic supply depot railroad storehouse at Brentwood Village center and the railroad bridge over the Little Harpeth River (near Franklin road & Murray Lane). One Union contingency of about 500 were garrisoned near the railroad depot in Brentwood’s town center (Modern Pewitt Drive) and another 200 men, in a fortified stockade built south of town near the railroad bridge over the Little Harpeth River (near Murray Lane and Franklin Road). Neither site were supported by artillery. In March 1863 the railroad bridge was the fourth bridge built since the beginning of the war.
Coming off of an earlier March victory at the Battle of Thompson Station, Confederate Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest planned to move deep behind Union lines in a “Pincer” maneuver to encircle the encampment at Brentwood Village on March 25, 1863. Forrest traveled Johnson Chapel Road north towards Brentwood. Forrest crossed the Little Harpeth River where you are standing. He had encountered considerable difficulty in moving his troops and artillery across the rain swollen terrain. This delay caused Forrest to be late for the rendezvous and Starnes started to retreat. Forrest proceeded with the plan using half of his planned forces. Confederates encircled the Union soldiers near the current Ramparts building at Franklin Road and Maryland Way. Once Confederate artillery moved in to place, the Union commander Lt. Colonel Edward Bloodgood surrendered in a short period of time. Forrest then moved quickly to the Little Harpeth River stockade. One cannon round persuaded a surrender. The Confederates burned the stockade and Railroad Bridge and started moving approximately 800 prisoners westward. Union Calvary sent from Franklin made contact with the retreating contingent sent with the slower confiscated wagons and prisoners several miles west of the stockade. Both Confederate General’s Starnes and Forrest responded to the sounds of guns and came to the aid. The Union troops fell back and confederates moved towards Spring Hill. The Battle was a Confederate victory.
If you would like to learn more details about Brentwood skirmishes, the Battle of Brentwood or the final chapters of the Civil War with Brentwood caught between the bloody Battles of Franklin and Nashville, please visit the Brentwood Library for a copy of the sources listed below as well as other important historical books.
Sources
Brentwood, Tennessee: A Crossroads Of The American Civil War (2003) by Joe Lassus; Brentwood, Tennessee The Civil War Years (1993) by Richard Carlton Fulcher; Historic Brentwood (1985) by Vance Little
You will obtain the information needed for the lock code of the geocache through the above history and onsite. Answer the following questions:
- What is the number of the month the Battle of Brentwood was fought in? ____=A
- How many rails high is the brown wooden fence along the City property? ___ =B
- In March 1863, the railroad bridge across the Little Harpeth in Brentwood had been replaced how many times since the beginning of the war? ___ =C
- How many red reflector signs are at the end of the road? _____ =D
Lock Code is = ABCD
****Congratulations to alxg12 for FTF****