The Battle of Rheatown Where Greene County Stood D

The Battle of Rheatown: Where Greene County Stood Divided

If you want to understand Greene County’s soul, dig into its Civil War roots. And nowhere does the tangled loyalty and drama of the era come alive like the story of the Battle of Rheatown—a small but fierce skirmish that still echoes in the hills east of Greeneville. It’s a story of divided families, midnight raids, and a community that never forgot the cost of war.
What (and Where) Was Rheatown?

Early Settlement: Rheatown, just northeast of Greeneville, was one of the county’s earliest towns, named for Congressman John Rhea and founded in the early 1800s. Once a stagecoach stop, post office, and trading center, Rheatown was an important crossroads in antebellum Tennessee.

Civil War Crossroads: By the 1860s, Rheatown sat at a strategic point between Unionist Greeneville and Confederate Jonesborough. The valley’s farms and back roads became a chessboard for both armies.

The Battle Itself: A Night of Chaos

Date: August 1864, as the war in East Tennessee flared with increasing violence.

The Players: Confederate cavalry under General John Hunt Morgan clashed with Union forces from Greeneville, both sides using local knowledge and local guides. Stories say neighbors fought neighbors—some just yards from their own homes.

What Happened: In a night attack, Union troops surprised the Confederates camped near Rheatown’s main crossroads. Short, brutal fighting left dozens dead or wounded. Skirmishes spilled across fields, and several historic homes still show scars from musket balls.

Rheatown After the Guns

Torn Community: After the fighting, Rheatown never fully recovered its former prominence. Some families moved away, old alliances broke, and scars—physical and emotional—remained for generations.

Remembering: Today, only a few buildings and cemeteries mark the old town. But stories and family memories keep the battle alive. Some descendants can point out exactly where their ancestor fought, or where he fell.

Real-World Scenarios: Walking in History

Self-Guided Drive: Take Rheatown Road from Greeneville and look for old homes, churchyards, and rolling farmland. It’s a quiet place, but if you listen, history still whispers.

Cemeteries: Both Union and Confederate graves dot the area. Some are marked with modern flags or bronze plaques, and every Memorial Day, you’ll see fresh flowers.

Photographing the Fields: Early morning and late afternoon are best, when the light falls on cornfields and the mists rise—bringing to mind the confusion and heartbreak of 1864.

Classic Recipe: Civil War Sorghum Cornbread

A wartime staple—simple, hearty, and sweetened with the sorghum syrup that sustained East Tennessee tables through lean years.

Civil War Sorghum Cornbread

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup sorghum syrup

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/4 cup melted butter

Mix dry ingredients, then add buttermilk, egg, sorghum, and butter. Pour into a greased skillet, bake at 400°F for 20–25 minutes. Serve hot, split with a dollop of butter or more sorghum if you like.

Why Rheatown Matters

Rheatown stands as a symbol of Greene County’s divided heart—and its resilience. Walk those quiet roads, and you can still feel the echoes of history, the pain of choices made in a time when every neighbor’s loyalty was tested. Greene County remembers, and so should we.