When his father returned to Tennessee in 1861 after the outbreak of the American Civil War, Henry Watterson did too. He volunteered for the Confederate States Army, and was attached at various times to the staffs of Generals Joseph E. Johnston, Leonidas Polk and Nathan B. Forrest. His main contribution to the Confederate war effort, however, was editorial, with the "Chattanooga Rebel" and the "Nashville Banner". After the Confederacy lost, Watterson edited the "Cincinnati Evening Post" for six months. By September 1865 Watterson returned to Nashville, married, become editor and part owner of the "Nashville Banner," where he began his “New Departure” campaign urging national reconciliation.