In memory of Dr. Charles H. "Charlie" Faulkner, October 16, 1937–July 21, 2022
For years, the exact location of the Union Army Civil War encampment Fort Sanders has been the subject of much discussion and debate. Historians Dr. Charles and Terry Faulkner researched the site to determine where the perimeters of the fort stood and where the decisive 1863 battle took place. In addition to consulting historical documents, newspapers, and photographs, they excavated on the site and employed the latest mapping technology. In 2020, they published their findings in the book, Rediscovering Fort Sanders: The American Civil War and Its Impact on Knoxville's Cultural Landscape.
Filmmakers Bill and Melissa Sykes made a documentary about the Faulkners' painstaking research to locate the long since demolished structure. In Search of Fort Sanders is an invaluable companion to the book, illuminating the behind the scenes work that went into this historic project.
The film is made possible in partnership with the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection and with financial support from Friends of the Knox County Public Library.
Rediscovering Fort Sanders: The American Civil War and Its Impact on Knoxville's Cultural Landscape
In the fall of 1863, Knoxville came under Union occupation, and troops went immediately to work to strengthen existing defenses and construct new ones. The most important of these was the earthwork atop a hill west of the city that came to be known as Fort Sanders. The fort would be the site of a critical battle on November 29, in which General James Longstreet's Southern forces mounted a bold but ill-conceived assault that lasted only twenty minutes yet resulted in over eight hundred Rebel casualties. The completion of the fort under General Davis Tilson would safeguard Knoxville from further attack for the rest of the war. Rediscovering Fort Sanders is a unique book that combines a narrative history of pre-Civil War Knoxville, the war years and continuing construction of Fort Sanders, the failed attempts to preserve the postwar fort, and the events which led to its almost total destruction. Research by Terry and Charles Faulkner resulted in two major discoveries: the fort was actually located a block farther to the west then previously recognized, and there are still identifiable remnants of the fortification where none were believed to exist. More than just a chronicle of a significant chapter in Civil War and postwar history, this book will inspire others to continue the effort to ensure that the site and remains of Fort Sanders are preserved and properly commemorated for future generations.