The Bearded Historian

10/11/2026

Practicing some little doodles. I enjoy this style and I think it would look cool drawing small Civil War Regiments in action.

10/11/2026

Quality living history interpretation isn’t hard to do. You just need passion

10/09/2026

New Vinyl Sticker Link in comments . This design is based off of a hat badge worn by the 20th Tennessee Infantry during the American Civil War. This Vinyl weatherproof sticker is available on the Bearded Historian Etsy.

The 20th Tennessee Infantry Regiment was organized in May 1861 at Camp Trousdale in Sumner County, Tennessee, following the outbreak of the American Civil War. Composed largely of volunteers from Middle Tennessee, the regiment entered Confederate service under the command of Colonel Joel A. Battle. In January 1862, the regiment participated in the Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky, where Confederate forces suffered a significant defeat. Colonel Battle was captured during the engagement, and the regiment subsequently underwent reorganization. The 20th Tennessee later fought at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862 and participated in the Confederate invasion of Kentucky that autumn, including the Battle of Perryville. As part of the Army of Tennessee, the regiment also saw heavy fighting at Stones River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in December 1862 and January 1863.

As the war continued, the 20th Tennessee Infantry participated in some of the Western Theater's bloodiest campaigns, including the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863 and the Chattanooga Campaign later that year. In 1864, the regiment fought throughout the Atlanta Campaign before joining General John Bell Hood's advance into Middle Tennessee. On November 30, 1864, the 20th Tennessee participated in the devastating Battle of Franklin, where Confederate forces suffered enormous casualties while assaulting entrenched Union positions. The regiment subsequently took part in the Battle of Nashville in December 1864, which resulted in the collapse of Hood's offensive. By the final months of the war, years of combat, disease, and hardship had severely reduced the regiment's strength. The surviving soldiers remained in Confederate service until the closing weeks of the conflict in 1865, bringing an end to nearly four years of military service.

10/08/2026

Do you think it’s true that young people don’t care about history? Who should step up to show them that it matters? Let me know in the comments

10/01/2026

Restock on Band of Brothers stickers just hit the Bearded Historian Etsy. This year is the 25th Anniversary of an amazing miniseries that still gets people interested in learning about WWII history.

10/01/2026

Ancient Greece in the Heart of Nashville

I recently came across these old photos at an estate sale of folks visiting the Parthenon in Nashville in the 1950s.

One of Nashville’s most recognizable landmarks has stood in Centennial Park for more than a century—but the Parthenon we see today wasn’t originally meant to last.

Nashville’s Parthenon began as part of the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition of 1897, a massive celebration commemorating 100 years of Tennessee statehood. Nashville had already earned the nickname “Athens of the South” because of its many colleges and universities, so organizers chose to construct a full-scale replica of the ancient Parthenon in Athens, Greece.

Like many buildings created for world’s fairs and expositions, the original structure was temporary, built largely from materials such as plaster, wood, and brick. But Nashvillians became so attached to their Parthenon that instead of tearing it down, the city eventually decided to preserve it. Between 1920 and 1931, the deteriorating exposition building was gradually replaced with the permanent concrete structure that stands today.

Inside is an enormous statue of Athena Parthenos, created by sculptor Alan LeQuire and unveiled in 1990. Standing nearly 42 feet tall, it recreates the monumental statue of Athena that once stood inside the original Parthenon in ancient Athens.

Today, the Nashville Parthenon serves as an art museum and remains one of the most unusual reminders of the city’s past—a piece of ancient Greece recreated in Tennessee and a surviving legacy of Nashville’s grand 1897 exposition.

Next time you pass through Centennial Park, remember: the Parthenon was originally supposed to be temporary. More than 125 years later, it has become a Nashville icon.

09/27/2026

Got to visit the LST 325 in Hendersonville Tennessee. This WWII Navy Landing Ship Tank is definitely worth the visit.

09/27/2026

09/25/2026

American Battlefield Trust has made another move to protect and preserve Stones River Battlefield land. They are currently working on purchasing another 122 acres of important land in along Asbury Lane where Confederate and Union soldiers fought for control of the Nashville Pike.

This 122 acres connects directly to 37 acres recently purchased by ABT for a total of about 160 acres preserved, and has been highly sought after by developers seeking to purchase it for residential, commercial, and mixed-use development.

ABT’s latest campaign also seeks to recover funds spent last year at auction to purchase 15 more acres adjacent to Stones River Battlefield. With only a week's notice, they stepped forward to purchase these lands, some of which lying within the authorized boundary of the park, to save from developers.

Friends of the Stones River National Battlefield invites the public to help preserve this property for future interpretation of the battlefield.

Learn More 👇🏻

https://www.battlefields.org/give/save-battlefields/help-save-140-acres-stones-river-and-fort-heiman