Editing Hardeman County, Tennessee (section)

==History==
Hardeman County was created by the [[Tennessee General Assembly]] in 1823 from parts of [[Hardin County, Tennessee|Hardin County]] and "Indian lands." It is named for Thomas J. Hardeman<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hairston.org/p4117.htm|title=HAIRSTON - (surname unknown) Mary Ophelia POLK|website=www.hairston.org|access-date=March 10, 2018}}</ref> (1788-1854), a veteran of the [[Creek War]] and the [[War of 1812]] and a prominent figure in the fight for [[Texas]] independence. He served as a congressman in the [[Republic of Texas]], and was also the father of [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] brigadier general [[William Polk Hardeman]].<ref name=tehc />

Settlers began arriving in the area that is now Hardeman County in 1819, following a treaty with the [[Chickasaw]] allowing settlement in West Tennessee signed on October 19, 1818.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Hardeman County Tennessee |url=https://hardemancounty.org/about-us/county-history/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=hardemancounty.org}}</ref> Among these earliest settlers were the county's namesame Thomas Hardeman and [[Ezekiel Polk]], the paternal grandfather of president [[James K. Polk]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.hardemancountychamber.com/county-info/history/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Hardeman County Tennessee |language=en-US}}</ref> Thereafter, further settlers arrived from Middle Tennessee, Alabama, North and South Carolina, and Virginia.<ref name=":0" />

The first permanent settlement was established in 1823 along the [[Hatchie River]], dubbed Hatchie Town. The town's location along the river led to recurrent flooding, and ultimately the decision was made to relocate the settlement approximately one mile south to what is now Bolivar.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

Hardeman County was the site of several battles and skirmishes in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. The largest of these was the [[Battle of Hatchie's Bridge]] which took place on October 5, 1862 and resulted in 900 total casualties. Much of downtown Bolivar was also burned down during the war.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The town of [[Grand Junction, Tennessee|Grand Junction]] was the site of the first [[Contraband (American Civil War)|contraband camp]], organized by John Eaton to shelter and employ enslaved individuals captured by the Union.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chaplain John Eaton, Jr. · Finding Freedom at Grand Junction, Tennessee · Contraband Camps of the Mississippi Valley |url=https://gjcontrabandcamp.omeka.net/exhibits/show/grand-junction/establishing-the-camp/eaton |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=gjcontrabandcamp.omeka.net}}</ref>

The county is the location of two of Tennessee's four private prisons, the [[Whiteville Correctional Facility]] and the [[Hardeman County Correctional Center]]. Both are medium-security facilities for men, operated by the [[Corrections Corporation of America]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tn.gov/correction/institutions/hccf.html |title=Tennessee Department of Correction - Hardeman County Correctional Facility |access-date=March 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412190831/http://www.tn.gov/correction/institutions/hccf.html |archive-date=April 12, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tn.gov/correction/institutions/wcfa.html |title=Tennessee Department of Correction - Whiteville Correctional Facility |access-date=March 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412190859/http://www.tn.gov/correction/institutions/wcfa.html |archive-date=April 12, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>