Tennessee Wars Commission

The Tennessee General Assembly enacted legislation in April 1994 creating the Tennessee Wars Commission (TWC), which is administratively attached to the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC). The duties of the Wars Commission are performed by one staff member, the Director of Programs. The Wars Commission’s mission of preserving and interpreting Tennessee’s military heritage is realized in part by funding grants, through civic and governmental engagement, education and interpretation, and by way of conservation efforts.

The Wars Commission has been charged with coordinating planning efforts, the preservation and promotion of structures, buildings, sites, and battlefields in Tennessee from the French and Indian War (1754-1763), American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), War of 1812 (1812-1815), Mexican-American War (1846-1848) through the Civil War (1861-1865) era. The Wars Commission is also charged with acquiring or providing funds for the acquisition of battlefields, cemeteries, Underground Railroad sites, and other properties associated with the aforementioned conflicts.

Since its establishment 30 years ago, the Wars Commission has helped acquire and permanently protect over 8,000 acres of historic properties including the Camp Blount Historic Site, a War of 1812 muster site that gave Tennessee the moniker the “Volunteer State.” With the creation of the Civil War Sites Preservation Grant Fund (CWSPF) in 2013, 1,100 acres of hallowed Civil War ground have been perpetually preserved. To date, the Wars Commission Grant Fund (WCGF) has supported well over one hundred different projects that preserve, protect, and interpret Tennessee’s military heritage. These projects have included funding:

• archaeological and geophysical surveys of Battle of Nashville sites including the largest inland stone fortification, Fort Negley.
• the creation of the State-Wide Battlefield Preservation Plan by the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association that aims to realize additional opportunities for Civil War battlefield preservation.
• the development of the Road to Freedom Brochure and Mobile Application, a heritage tourism resource highlighting the African American experience during the Civil War focusing on compelling stories of strife, growth, and community by surfacing concepts of empowerment and self-emancipation.

War-Related Preservation Resources