The Battle of Nashville Trust honored the 161st Anniversary of the Battle with a flurry of events, ranging from wreath placements to art exhibits and expert analysis of the military strategy that played out in the Battle of Nashville.
The activities began with the Trust’s annual meeting and gathering on Dec. 13, 2025, at Travellers Rest. More than 60 attendees gathered to hear BONT president Bobby Whitson summarize the accomplishments of the past year in the name of preservation of the battlefield, including clearing the field of view at Redoubt No. 1, acquisition of a new 1.2 acre tract at the base of Shy’s Hill, purchase of the 2.23 acre tract which includes the summit of Shy’s Hill, and a soon-to-be-finalized agreement to purchase another acre of Shy’s adjacent to the trailhead.
Retired Maj. Gen. Bradley Gericke
He added these thoughts to bring 2025 to a close: “We are proud of the progress that we are making to preserve more battlefield, maintain what we have already acquired, and educate the community about the battle, its importance in the war, and about those that fought here. While we are excited about what we have accomplished so far, we need your financial help and corporate financial help to pay appropriate homage to those that sacrificed here. Please help us make others aware of what we are trying to accomplished here.”
For details about the progress made by the Trust during 2025, please review full reports on each on the News and Shy’s Hill pages of this website.
The program also featured BONT board member and retired Maj. Gen. Bradley Gericke, who presented “An Army Strategist’s View of the Battle of Nashville.” He looked at Hood’s 1864 Tennessee Campaign and the Battle of Nashville at the strategic level of war and through the lens of classic military theory, noting that Hood had at hand several courses of action available to him to prolong the war and to preserve his army. A direct pursuit of the Union forces to Nashville was not his best choice. Overall, the North better aligned policy, strategy and operations in the field than did the South, creating Hood’s predicament.
Following the annual meeting, the Trust carried out its annual tradition on Dec. 15 of placing Memorial Wreaths on the soil of both Confederate Redoubt No. 1, and the summit of Shy’s Hill. At sunset on Dec. 16, the traditional meeting on the top of Shy’s Hill drew another gathering to honor the men of both armies who waged war on that ground 161 years ago. As always, the gathering occurred on the grounds where 26-year-old Lt. Col. William Shy lost his life defending the Hill.
To view a solemn video made by Bobby Whitson at Redoubt No. 1 at sunset on Dec. 15, 2025, after he had placed the annual Memorial Wreath on the grounds, click on Wreath Placement at Redoubt No. 1.
Activities continued after the Wreath Ceremony on the battlefield with the opening and reception for the Battle of Nashville art exhibit featuring the depictions of the battle by Board member and Vietnam combat veteran Philip Duer. The exhibit (see story below) drew more than 70 visitors who came to view the work and congratulate the artist on his artwork that comprises the only collection depicting important scenes of the battle, including Shy’s Hill, Peach Orchard Hill, and Redoubt No. 1.
The exhibit will continue in its location on the 4th floor of the Vanderbilt Heard Library (Central Library) and was curated by fellow Board member Brandon Hulette, a professor at Vanderbilt University. It is sponsored by The Curb Center at Vanderbilt.
For more detail about the artist’s work and its recognition in the sphere of Civil War and Battle of Nashville art depictions, see the separate reports in the Features page of this website.
Below: Gallery of photos depicting some of the 161st Anniversary events. Photos of Shy’s Hill and Redoubt No. 1 by Bobby Whitson. Photos of Duer art exhibit and annual meeting by Tom Lawrence.
