Page "Gallatin, Tennessee" Paragraph 5

The Union Army first captured Gallatin in February 1862.

It was an important location because the railroad and Cumberland River were significant transportation routes which the Union Army wanted to control.

In July, General John Hunt Morgan recaptured Gallatin and held it until Confederate forces fell back to Chattanooga.

So many enslaved blacks went to Union lines that the Union established a contraband camp at Gallatin to house the slaves.

They were fed with troop food, and worked for pay at various tasks.