Battle of the Cumberland Gap (June 1862)
Encyclopedia
The June 1862 capture of the Cumberland Gap was a Union
victory during the American Civil War
leading to Union occupation of the Cumberland Gap
for three months.
. The center of Johnston's defenses was Bowling Green, KY with the left flank anchored at Island No. 10 on the Mississippi River and the right held by Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer
at the Cumberland Gap
.
In early 1862 the Union Army had met with great success in the Western Theater
. A string of victories at Mill Springs
, Fort Donelson
and Island No. 10
had broken the Confederate defenses at several key points.
sent a brigade under Brig. Gen. Samuel P. Carter
against the eastern end of the Confederate defenses at the Cumberland Gap. These defenses were now held by Col. James Edward Rains
after Zollicoffer's defeat and death at Mill Springs. The Confederate works were considered too formidable to be taken by direct assault and Carter's force lacked sufficient artillery to match the well placed Confederate batteries.
By April, General Morgan was moving against the gap with the remaining three brigades of his division. Morgan's force now included the brigades of Carter, James G. Spears, John F. DeCourcy and Absalom Baird
along with a brigade of artillery and cavalry. Meanwhile Brig. Gen. Carter L. Stevenson
brought up the remaining brigades of Seth Maxwell Barton and T.H. Taylor to Col. Rain's defense. Morgan proposed to Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell
that Chattanooga be threatened in order to force the Confederates to pull their strength away from the Cumberland Gap. At the same time General Edmund Kirby Smith
, Confederate commander in eastern Kentucky, proposed a threat against Nashville to draw Union forces away from the gap. Only Morgan got his wish. A Union division under Brig. Gen. James S. Negley
attacked Chattanooga
on June 7, 1862. This demonstration against Chattanooga was small but it proved the Union forces could strike where they wanted. It was enough for Kirby Smith to reconsider Stevenson's position at the Cumberland Gap.
The Union advance against the gap was made over difficult terrain, particularly in regards to the artillery brought with. Morgan was also forced to abandon his supply lines and rely solely upon foraging
. Through two weeks of maneuvering through enemy territory Morgan reached the gap without losing a single man. Kirby Smith ordered Stevenson to withdraw to Chattanooga in response to Negley's attack. On June 18 Morgan reported to General Buell he had taken control of the "American Gibraltar".
invaded Kentucky
that Morgan found himself facing a serious Confederate threat. Morgan was forced to abandon the gap in September, 1862 but managed to conduct a masterful withdrawal through enemy territory. The Cumberland Gap would remain in Confederate control until Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside
would recapture the gap
in 1863.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
victory during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
leading to Union occupation of the Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
for three months.
Background
The Confederates held a long line of fortifications across Kentucky, Tennessee and into Missouri under Albert Sidney JohnstonAlbert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
. The center of Johnston's defenses was Bowling Green, KY with the left flank anchored at Island No. 10 on the Mississippi River and the right held by Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer
Felix Zollicoffer
Felix Kirk Zollicoffer was a newspaperman, three-term United States Congressman from Tennessee, officer in the United States Army, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War...
at the Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
.
In early 1862 the Union Army had met with great success in the Western Theater
Western Theater of the American Civil War
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Theater of operations:...
. A string of victories at Mill Springs
Battle of Mill Springs
The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in Confederate terminology, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads in Union terminology, was fought in Wayne and Pulaski counties, near current Nancy, Kentucky, on January 19, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It...
, Fort Donelson
Battle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S...
and Island No. 10
Battle of Island Number Ten
The Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi River during the American Civil War, lasting from February 28 to April 8, 1862. The position, an island at the base of a tight double turn in the course of the river, was held by the Confederates...
had broken the Confederate defenses at several key points.
Campaign against the Cumberland Gap
In March 1862 Brig. Gen. George W. MorganGeorge W. Morgan
George Washington Morgan was an American soldier, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He fought in the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War, and was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
sent a brigade under Brig. Gen. Samuel P. Carter
Samuel P. Carter
Samuel Perry "Powhatan" Carter was a United States naval officer who served in the Union Army as a brevet major general during the American Civil War and became a rear admiral in the postbellum United States Navy. He was the first and thusfar only United States officer to have been commissioned...
against the eastern end of the Confederate defenses at the Cumberland Gap. These defenses were now held by Col. James Edward Rains
James Edward Rains
James Edward Rains was a lawyer and general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Stones River .-Early life:...
after Zollicoffer's defeat and death at Mill Springs. The Confederate works were considered too formidable to be taken by direct assault and Carter's force lacked sufficient artillery to match the well placed Confederate batteries.
By April, General Morgan was moving against the gap with the remaining three brigades of his division. Morgan's force now included the brigades of Carter, James G. Spears, John F. DeCourcy and Absalom Baird
Absalom Baird
Absalom Baird was a career United States Army officer who distinguished himself as a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Baird received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his military actions-Early life:...
along with a brigade of artillery and cavalry. Meanwhile Brig. Gen. Carter L. Stevenson
Carter L. Stevenson
Carter Littlepage Stevenson, Jr. was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army in several antebellum wars and then in the Confederate States Army as a general in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Stevenson was born to a prominent family in...
brought up the remaining brigades of Seth Maxwell Barton and T.H. Taylor to Col. Rain's defense. Morgan proposed to Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, and the American Civil War. Buell led Union armies in two great Civil War battles—Shiloh and Perryville. The nation was angry at his failure to defeat the outnumbered...
that Chattanooga be threatened in order to force the Confederates to pull their strength away from the Cumberland Gap. At the same time General Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith was a career United States Army officer and educator. He served as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, notable for his command of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederacy after the fall of Vicksburg.After the conflict ended Smith...
, Confederate commander in eastern Kentucky, proposed a threat against Nashville to draw Union forces away from the gap. Only Morgan got his wish. A Union division under Brig. Gen. James S. Negley
James S. Negley
James Scott Negley was an American Civil War General, farmer, railroader, and U.S. Representative from the state of Pennsylvania. He played a key role in the Union victory at the Battle of Murfreesboro.-Early life:...
attacked Chattanooga
First Battle of Chattanooga
The First Battle of Chattanooga was a minor artillery battle in the American Civil War, fought on June 7–8, 1862.-Background:In late spring 1862, the Confederacy split its forces in Tennessee into several small commands in an attempt to complicate Federal operations. Maj. Gen. Ormsby M...
on June 7, 1862. This demonstration against Chattanooga was small but it proved the Union forces could strike where they wanted. It was enough for Kirby Smith to reconsider Stevenson's position at the Cumberland Gap.
The Union advance against the gap was made over difficult terrain, particularly in regards to the artillery brought with. Morgan was also forced to abandon his supply lines and rely solely upon foraging
Foraging
- Definitions and significance of foraging behavior :Foraging is the act of searching for and exploiting food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce...
. Through two weeks of maneuvering through enemy territory Morgan reached the gap without losing a single man. Kirby Smith ordered Stevenson to withdraw to Chattanooga in response to Negley's attack. On June 18 Morgan reported to General Buell he had taken control of the "American Gibraltar".
Aftermath
General Morgan praised his division for the efficiency of their actions in the face of logistical difficulties. Even though he held a strong defensive position, Morgan was far from any Union base with no established supply lines. His reports to Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck however remained full of optimism. As late as August, 1862 Morgan reported he had no intentions of evacuating the gap and "if the enemy attacks he will be crushed". Kirby Smith's attention had been devoted to securing Chattanooga. It was not until Confederates under Braxton BraggBraxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
invaded Kentucky
Confederate Heartland Offensive
The Confederate Heartland Offensive or Kentucky Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in East Tennessee and Kentucky in 1862 during the American Civil War...
that Morgan found himself facing a serious Confederate threat. Morgan was forced to abandon the gap in September, 1862 but managed to conduct a masterful withdrawal through enemy territory. The Cumberland Gap would remain in Confederate control until Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
would recapture the gap
Battle of the Cumberland Gap (1863)
The September 7–9, 1863 fall of the Cumberland Gap was a victory for Union forces under the command of Ambrose Burnside during his campaign for Knoxville...
in 1863.
Union
- 7th Division, Army of the OhioArmy of the OhioThe Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
- Brig. Gen. George W. MorganGeorge W. MorganGeorge Washington Morgan was an American soldier, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He fought in the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War, and was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
- 24th Brigade - Brig. Gen. Samuel P. CarterSamuel P. CarterSamuel Perry "Powhatan" Carter was a United States naval officer who served in the Union Army as a brevet major general during the American Civil War and became a rear admiral in the postbellum United States Navy. He was the first and thusfar only United States officer to have been commissioned...
- 25th Brigade - Brig. Gen. James G. Spears
- 26th Brigade - Col. John F. DeCourcy
- 27th Brigade - Brig. Gen. Absalom BairdAbsalom BairdAbsalom Baird was a career United States Army officer who distinguished himself as a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Baird received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his military actions-Early life:...
- Artillery - Cpt. Jacob T. Foster
- 24th Brigade - Brig. Gen. Samuel P. Carter
Confederate
- Stevenson's Division - Brig. Gen. Carter L. StevensonCarter L. StevensonCarter Littlepage Stevenson, Jr. was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army in several antebellum wars and then in the Confederate States Army as a general in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Stevenson was born to a prominent family in...
- 2nd Brigade - Col James Edward RainsJames Edward RainsJames Edward Rains was a lawyer and general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Stones River .-Early life:...
- 3rd Brigade - Brig. Gen. Seth Maxwell Barton
- 5th Brigade - Col. Thomas H. Taylor
- 2nd Brigade - Col James Edward Rains