The lack of historical education on the war, and Nashville's role in particular in it, has probably been the greatest obstacle to preservation efforts today. Some say that the subject of the Civil War is still too controversial, and is generally dismissed as an affair that many would just as soon forget ever happened. This sentiment is probably a typical response to the population of any defeated country, but is exasperated by the lingering bitterness over slavery, as evidenced by the recent battles over some southern state flags. Given this state of tension, it is no surprise that the media and most educational institutions steer away from the subject altogether. Nashville is one of the few major battlefields in the Nation that does not have a national military park.
Today there is little of the battlefield available for public access.
The majority of the most significant sites have been developed for commercial or residential purposes. The old Fort Negley fortifications behind the Cumberland Science Museum in downtown Nashville, and the new Peace Monument Park on Granny White Pike, are the only Civil War landmarks in Nashville owned by the local government. Fort Negley, which is the largest inland stone fortification of the Civil War, is in a rapid state of deterioration. There are another twenty sites around the city that can be linked to the Battle of Nashville. None are under the protection of the city, state or federal government.