Existing comment:
"You can't imagine the sad appearance of our city. All the dry goods merchants have left except the Coulters."
-- Wm. Epps Newell to Sallie Ann Newell, February 20, 1862
Merchant:
Patriotism, profit, loss and rebirth typified many Clarksville businesses during the war. Local firms sold crackers, repaired wagons, packed meat, and provided medicine and other items to support the Confederate war effort. Whitfield, Bradley and Company cast cannon and shot for artillery. John Neblett made stoves and cutlery for the army. Some business closed due to shortages and inability to ship goods.
The arrival of Union troops changed the business climate. Union authorities formed a board of trade that dictated who could sell goods. The permanent Union garrison at Clarksville, plus the reopened rivers allowed new channels of commerce and brought in new businesses. |