General Sherman's Secret HQ: A Civil War Journey to Woodlawn Plantation

Scott: 00:00:00

Today, we journey to a small, picturesque town in Tennessee where the whispers of the past resonate through the grand halls of Woodlawn Plantation in La Grange. Once a symbol of Southern prosperity, a silent witness to a nation's divide, and now a testament to enduring history, Woodlawn has seen it all.

Join us as we uncover the captivating saga of this iconic estate, from its antebellum grandeur to its pivotal role during the Civil War and the lives that unfolded within its historic wal settle in. Because the story of Woodlawn Plantation begins now. Welcome to Talk with History. I'm your host, Scott, here with my wife and historian, Jen.

Jenn: 00:00:47

Hello.

Scott: 00:00:48

On this podcast, we give you insights to our history Inspired World Travels, YouTube channel Journey and examine history through deeper conversations with the curious, the explorers and the history lovers out there. All right, Jen, so this is some backyard history for us.

Jenn: 00:01:10

Yes.

Scott: 00:01:11

Now, this is one I didn't have a chance to get out to. You were able to go out to Woodlawn, which kind of the tagline, the kind of eye catcher is that this was General Sherman's. William Tecumseh Sherman.

Like the march to the. Through Atlanta and the burning and all the stuff that Sherman. It was his headquarters for a couple months for. For a few months during the Civil War.

Jenn: 00:01:34

1862.

Scott: 00:01:34

Yeah.

Jenn: 00:01:35

Yes. So we were driving, I think we were going to do Buford Pusser. I think we were doing Walking Tall.

And we were driving basically eastbound from where we live, Memphis, straight across the bottom part of Tennessee. And we drove by this historic marker. And that's when I have that bumper sticker, and you can order them if you want.

I break for historic markers, which I honestly do. And I told you, slow down. That said something about Sherman and it says W on.

And if you turned your head, it looked like this huge Greek revival style.

Scott: 00:02:09

Antebellum, big, big pillars, all the stuff.

Jenn: 00:02:12

Mansion, very Tara esque. And I was like, oh, how cool is that?

says, this house was built in: 1828

And then it was also used as a hospital for the north and the south during the Civil War. So I was like, I would love to make a video from there. So I contact. I found the website. I contacted the person in charge.

It has recently been bought by somebody. It was a for sale for a while. It had been bought by someone who relocated to the area.

And she has really done her best to make it into a Airbnb, a place where you can get married, just like a location place.

Scott: 00:03:01

As I was making the video, it kind of reminded me a little bit of like visiting Appomattox, right? Appomattox Courthouse, obviously, that's kind of more of like.

I don't know if it's a national park or whatever, but it had that same feel to it because there's a lot of artifacts that are still kind of from the Civil War era that were kind of came with the house.

Obviously the house has been modernized so that you can stay in it and looks like she does events there and stuff like that, because there's lots of just beautiful land around the area. But it's a. It's a gorgeous home.

Jenn: 00:03:31

It's gorgeous. And they, like I said, you can rent it and it's perfect for like a wedding or an event. She does family reunions there.

What's neat about it is if you are a history buff like we are, they have gone through looking for artifacts. She owns all the land there, so she can metal detect there or allow people to metal detect there. They found bullets and things like that.

They have the bedroom where Sherman slept, and they have it marked with a placard. She even believes it's the original furniture because she bought it from the original person who said it was the original furniture.

And even when I was in there, if you look at the video, it would be very difficult furniture to get out of the room. So I do not think they moved it ever.

Scott: 00:04:11

I think once it was in built.

Jenn: 00:04:12

In, the room it stayed in. And so it seemed like it was the original furniture. It's just a beautiful house. And so when you think of Sherman and Shiloh, this is about.

What did you say, like an hour from Shiloh?

Scott: 00:04:26

And you think about an hour from Shiloh, about a hour and change from Memphis.

Jenn: 00:04:30

Yeah. So Sherman is kind of making his way east from Memphis. Memphis falls early during the Civil War, makes his way east.

And so he's setting up headquarters here. And what's interesting about this is in LaGrange, Tennessee.

town that was incorporated in: 1819

But if you know anything about Civil War history, this is where the Grierson Raiders are going to leave from. They leave from lagrange, Tennessee.

Now, the Raiders, officially, their job was to just create havoc and raid, hit these towns quickly and get out to pull the Confederates away from Vicksburg. And this was Grant's whole idea, so he could take Vicksburg, is try to get people away from Vicksburg so he can get in and get Vicksburg.

Scott: 00:05:28

So is this what these Raiders. Is this what the John Wayne movie is based off of, the Horse Soldiers?

Jenn: 00:05:34

Yes. And so we're going to talk with Joyce and Gettysburg about this movie, and it is based off the Horse Soldiers is the Grierson Raid.

It's the sad story.

Scott: 00:05:43

So if you're. If you're not a John Wayne fan and we. I'm sitting right next to a hardcore John Wayne fan. I had never.

We had never actually seen this movie, the Horse Soldiers, but we had been in touch with fellow history creators. So Addressing Gettysburg is another very big. You've probably heard of the Addressing Gettysburg podcast.

And we had chit chatted and he had watched one of our John Wayne videos. He said, hey, I would love to talk John Wayne. I love John Wayne movies. And so we had kind of set something up a while ago, never made it happen.

But this fall, I think we're going to talk with him about one of his favorite movies is the Horse Soldier.

So it's John Wayne kind of leading these Raiders, and basically their sole job was to kind of go through the south and disrupt supply lines that kind of create havoc to make it harder for the Confederate armies to resupply, to travel, you know, et cetera. And so then obviously, then it's John Wayne.

So there's all the Jan1 stuff that comes with it, but it's a great example of the history that happened kind of from this area of Tennessee and kind of what they did during the Civil War.

Jenn: 00:06:49

Yeah. So you have to imagine Sherman's headquarters is in Woodlawn. So in the house that I take you to, the house you can go to.

And they believe Grant visited him there. And Grant gave verbal orders for the gear for the Grison raid.

And he gave verbal orders because he didn't want anyone to catch any documentation alluding to this race is like Civil.

Scott: 00:07:13

War version of black ops.

Jenn: 00:07:15

ng to leave. Sherman is here,: 1862

ut it into motion in April of: 1863

So if you Remember, Pemberton is the Confederate leader of Vicksburg. They're pulling Pemberton away. They're destroying the railroad along the way. And so it's disrupting everything he's doing to reinforce Vicksburg.

to hit Baton Rouge in May of: 1863

So he does all of this based on. He reads books and he's like, I'm going to just hit things. I'm not looking to take any property, I'm not looking to take any casualties.

I'm just looking to hit things fast and get out. And because of that, they suffer very minimal casualties because they're not. They don't stick around enough.

Scott: 00:08:18

Yeah, they're just traveling fast and disrupting supply.

Jenn: 00:08:21

They don't stick around enough for the oppos, the opposition, to gear up and fight them. They just hit them and go. And so it's very effective. It really throws Pemberton off his game. And Grierson does a really great job.

. And Woodlawn I was built in: 1828

he's a veteran of the War of: 1812

So he was given a land grant there in Lagrange. And that's when he builds Woodlawn. And it's beautiful Greek restyle. It's very plantation esque, and it is a plantation.

And so that's why Sherman sees it. And he's like, I'm gonna make my headquarters there, just like Grant does. They make their headquarters in the grandest houses in the area.

And so what you get during the Civil War is they have a lot of land out there. And so all the soldiers make their tents out in the land around the house. So there's a lot of depiction.

I show some photographs, not photographs, but I show some drawings, some etchings, and a model recreation of what that looked like of all the soldiers camped out around Woodlawn. And it's very interesting because Woodlawn is also then used as a hospital for the north and the south once Sherman leaves there.

And people are coming back from the Confederacy because Most people in Tennessee are fighting for the South. It's used as a hospital for the north and the South. So there's some. There's front steps and there's back steps.

And the back steps were very much, you can tell, worn down from women who are nursing or nurses going up and down those steps to the large rooms where the. The men would be, the sick men would be.

Scott: 00:10:17

er, too, so they got here was: 1862

Like, this is a pivotal spot because Tennessee, for the most part, is held by the Union right at that time. And so they're moving down into Mississippi, down to Vicksburg to capture that key point on the. One of the key points there on the Mississippi.

Look at me sounding like a history expert.

Jenn: 00:10:48

I know.

Scott: 00:10:49

So this was kind of a pivotal point because the reason it's a headquarters, because it's not far from Memphis. They had taken Memphis, which was relatively short, short battle for them. Then they're heading down to Vicksburg. And then if.

If you're going to take the wounded from a location, you're going to take it back up to kind of where things are more secure and more established, potentially back up, you know, to. To this spot in Tennessee.

So that's why this is like a good spot, because it's not a key spot that the south is going to necessarily come up and try and take, because it's not a.

It's not a logistics center right there, but it's close enough that you can get soldiers out of the way, out of the key spots where there might be battles, because it's not far from Shiloh. It's not far from. It's kind of in between all of these spots. And that's why it's a headquarters.

It's an hour from Shiloh, hour from Memphis, few hours from Vicksburg. So it's right in between all of these spots.

So strategically, for headquarters, great spot and pretty safe as a hospital, because the South's probably not going to come up there, because these other key strategic locations are really what's more important.

Jenn: 00:11:54

And what's so great about it today is you can go there, you can rent it, you can stay there.

So if you're somebody who really wants to be immersed in American history, Civil War history, it's available to you to kind of go and visit and stand There and sleep in the same room Sherman slept in. And so much so that the owner has had some ghostly run ins there, you know.

And so if you're interested in ghost hunting and having some of those experiences, she says it's a very active house for that. So much so that she tells me these ghost stories and then leaves me alone in the house. I was like, I didn't want to say anything to her.

I'm not a huge fan of being left alone anywhere. But then she's telling me I was in this room and I look over and there's a man sitting there. And downstairs where there's a.

The jail, the, where they would hold the. The bad prisoners, there's always activity, loud banging things going around down there. And I.

And she looked at me, you want to go film down there while I'm gone? And I'm thinking, no. So that's why there's none of that on the video.

Scott: 00:12:57

Well, and plus it's just a wine cellar.

Jenn: 00:12:58

Yeah. And it's a perfect place for a wine cellar. But I. If you're interested in ghost hunting.

I told her this would be a great place for ghost hunters to go and see because she said there's so much activity. Fortunately, in all of my times in haunted places had no experiences. So that was number one for me.

And I made it very clear as I was going into the rooms, the room that uses the hospital room, which is a.

A huge room where they have a lot of beds and when people Airbnb or do family reunions there, it's a room where like you would put all the kids or something. She said there's a lot of activity with dolls in that room. A great way to get me to just never want to go back in that room again. Right.

So I was like, okay, awesome. But they. She had a very cute Civil war sol soldiers in their wooden ones. So if you watch the video, I take video of that.

What's interesting about LaGrange, Tennessee is it's also known for a very famous woman of the Civil War, a Lucy Pedaway Holcomb Pickens. She is considered the. The beauty, the queen of the antebellum South. She's the only woman's whose likeness appears on a Confederate currency.

Scott: 00:14:06

Oh, really?

Jenn: 00:14:07

Yeah.

Scott: 00:14:07

They just picked her because she was pretty.

Jenn: 00:14:09

She is considered the Confederate governess of the South. Like she's just considered this the Confederate queen of the South. And she married a Francis Pickens and they became.

He became the U. S. Minister to Russia under President James Buchanan two Years later, he was elected Confederate governor of South Carolina. And that during her 30 years of widowhood, she served as the Vice Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.

Scott: 00:14:36

Oh, no way.

Jenn: 00:14:36

Right.

Scott: 00:14:37

We just work with them on some Instagram stuff.

Jenn: 00:14:39

So she is born in Lagrange, Tennessee, and there's two historic markers to her in Lagrange, Tennessee. So really this famous woman of the Confederacy is born in this area as well.

Scott: 00:14:51

So she was just kind of like a well known debutante for the most part.

Jenn: 00:14:54

Yeah.

Scott: 00:14:55

And how interesting.

Jenn: 00:14:56

Very interesting. So this town is very tied to Civil War history, even a little American Revolution history, since it's named for the Marquis de Lafayette's home.

And he did visit it. When he does his return trip to, to America, he visits Lagrange, Tennessee, named for his land. And he said it was very beautiful.

Scott: 00:15:14

Oh, wow.

Jenn: 00:15:15

So it is a neat place of American history that's kind of a quiet little Tennessee town. Woodlawn is there for you to go see and kind of walk through history.

And then there's some other cool parts of American history that happened in that town with the, the Gerson Raiders and with Lucy Holcomb Pickens. But it was a neat little place to go.

I'm, I'm happy that we were able to make a video there and to showcase it because it is a place, if you are a history lover like us, a history buff like us, it's a place that you could actually stay in, walk through and experience.

Scott: 00:15:50

And I think it's one of those places that if you were kind of touring the general West Memph, West Tennessee, you know, Mississippi, kind of this area, Shiloh and Memphis and doing all of that, if you're traveling around, if you wanted to kind of stop there and stay overnight on your way to or from Shiloh, it's a great, great place to do it. Right? It's a great, great place to stop.

Jenn: 00:16:12

It's a great place to stop. And it's just, it's there for you now. And I like that the owner has made it available to the public.

Like that's her whole mission now is to make this home, this American history home, available to the public. So it's there for you. I just think more people need to know about it because it was super awesome to go visit.

Scott: 00:16:35

That brings us to the end of another captivating journey through history. We hope you've enjoyed uncovering the rich and complex story of Woodlawn Plantation in Lagrange, Tennessee, a place where the past truly comes alive.

If our episode has sparked your curiosity. We highly encourage you to experience Woodlawn for yourself. Walk the grounds, explore the historic house and feel the echoes of time firsthand.

You can find more information information about visiting Woodlawn Plantation on their official website, linked in our show notes or our video description. Join us next time on Talk With History as we delve into another fascinating piece of our shared history and until then, keep exploring.

Talk to you next time.

Jenn: 00:17:13

Thank you.

Scott: 00:17:24

This has been a Walk With History production. Talk With History is created and hosted by me, Scott Benny. Episode researched by Jennifer Benny.

Check out the show notes for links and references mentioned in this episode. Talk With History is supported by our fans@thehistoryroadtrip.com our eternal thanks go out to those providing funding to help keep us going.

Thank you to dougliberty, Clover Myers, Patrick Benny, Gale Cooper, Christy Coates and Calvin Gifford. Make sure you hit that follow button in the podcast player and we'll talk to you next time.