Ever wonder how all of those army bases, monuments, and military historical sites came to be in this one, beautiful part of Tennessee? The history of Clarksville, Tennessee is a remarkable one, stretching as far back as the Indian Wars, long before the War of 1812. The city that we know as Clarksville, the fifth largest city in Tennessee, was founded in 1784, and then established by North Carolina in December of 1785. General George Rogers Clark was a decorated Indian fighter and a veteran leader during the Revolutionary War. Thus beginning its war history, Clarksville was named for this famous man and then incorporated by Tennessee when it became the 16th state in the union in 1796.