In 1860, 300 people lived in Charlotte, the Dickson County seat. During the war, the residents witnessed considerable military activity, beginning February 17, 1862, when Confederate Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest arrived here to reequip his men and horses after escaping the surrender of Fort Donelson. Late in 1862 and early in 1863, local guerrillas used Charlotte as a base. Col. Thomas G. Woodward's band of partisans and Gen. Joseph Wheeler's Confederate cavalry raided the Union transportation center at Harpeth River Shoals on the Cumberland River, 6 miles northeast. In 1863 and 1864, Federal forces built the Nashville and Northeastern Railroad from Nashville to the Tennessee River.
