Nashville was on the route for many of those who escaped capture at Fort Donelson.

As an example, Floyd's entire Brigade [those that escaped Fort Donelson] was halted there to guard against further destruction of Government stores. After a few days, they were ordered further south to their next stop on the retreat route at Murfreesboro.

Individual escapees fom Fort Donelson were allowed to join A S Johnston's Army in regiments from their home state until their captured regiments were released at Vicksburg in September 1862. It took some time for them to be transferred from Johnson's [now Bragg's] Army to where their parent regiments might be stationed in Mississippi and Louisiana.