Rebel sniper kills Sanders
By Mike Steely
Senior Writer
steelym@knoxfocus.com
On October 23, 1863, Col. William Sanders was promoted to brigadier general, and would shortly play a vital role in assisting General Ambrose Burnside and the defense of Knoxville. Less than three weeks later, the Union occupied Knoxville after forcing out Rebels who for two years had controlled the city and, from there, East Tennessee.
Sanders was ordered by Burnside to dismount his cavalry and hold a hillside against attacking Rebels so fortifications at several points could be completed. General Sanders stationed his remaining cavalrymen, now only about a thousand strong because of losses, along a hill about one-half mile west of Third Street on an earthen fort built and abandoned by the enemy. William Marvel, in his novel “Burnside,” wrote that Sanders sent out part of his men to guard the Clinton Road and quickly modified the breastwork on the hill.
There, despite heavy shelling and constant gunfire, Sanders held his men and his position by sheer personal example. He stood upright just behind the rails, where both his men and the enemy could see him directing the battle. Several times he rallied his men, who wanted to retreat to safety toward the city.
Then came a round of fire from two South Carolina Rebel regiments, and Sanders was hit. He fell to the ground, and his men carried him away on a makeshift stretcher, giving up their position to the enemy. Badly wounded, he was carried to the Lamar House, now the Bijou Theatre, where he was treated in the Wedding Room.
Sanders died on November 16 and was quickly buried in a wordless ceremony between battles in the Second Presbyterian Cemetery on Market Street.
Burnside noted later that General Sanders gave his life to save Knoxville from capture, holding off the enemy and maintaining his position longer than was required for the defense works to be completed. He was an authentic Union hero.
The Union fort where Sanders was killed was renamed Fort Sanders, and the neighborhood that grew up around the old fort site has that name today. The body of Col. William P. Sanders was later unearthed and reburied in the National Cemetery in Chattanooga.
The Bijou Theatre, then the Lamar House, was built as an upscale hotel in 1817 and hosted many state and national figures, including President Andrew Jackson. When the Union army captured Knoxville, the large hotel was used as a hospital to treat wounded soldiers.
Converted to a theater and entertainment venue in 1909, the Bijou presented many national acts, including Will Rogers. It was one of the first theaters to open its doors to whites and Blacks, although the African Americans were restricted to the balcony.
After that, it was used to store cars, sell food, and show second-run movies and adult movies. It is said the second floor was once used as a flophouse and a brothel. Eventually the building was left to deteriorate.
It was almost demolished in 1975 but was saved and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theater reopened in 2006 and operates as a non-profit venue for community events such as concerts, shows and comedy acts.
Local lore has the Bijou haunted by Civil War soldiers and General Sanders. The theater, at 803 Gay Street, has much information on the internet at www.KnoxBijou.org.
