September 16, 2025

In December, 1864, the Confederate Army of Tennessee laid siege to the massive Union fortifications and garrison of Nashville.  In a two-day fight, that army was all but destroyed.  Their arrival at the city’s door was the culmination of Confederate strategy that began when the city was captured by Union forces in February, 1862.  Nashville, thereafter, became the “Siren’s song” for Confederate strategy in the west luring Confederate offensives no less than five times from 1862 through 1864.  This program details the city’s importance and each of the five attempts to retake Nashville for the Confederacy.    

Greg Biggs has studied military history for over 50 years.  He is a former Associate Editor of Blue & Gray magazine, which has published several of his articles.  He has also been published in Civil War Regiments, North-South Trader and Citizens’ Companion and in Sons of Confederate Veterans programs in Tennessee.  He is also an authority on Civil War flags and consults with museums, auction firms, and private collectors and has contributed to books on Georgia and Tennessee Civil War flags.  Greg also has done research on flags and military events for several noted Civil War authors including Eric Wittenberg, Dave Powell, Tim Smith, Gordon Rhea, Dan Masters, Art Bergeron and others.  Greg is a Civil War tour guide for campaigns of the Western Theater for the U.S. Army and Civil War groups and is President of the Clarksville Civil War Roundtable as well as Program Chair of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable.  He lives in Clarksville, TN with his wife Karel, a recently retired middle school teacher, and their three cats named for Civil War cavalry officers – Minty, Rucker and Ashby.