The June 1862 capture of the Cumberland Gap was a

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

victory during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

leading to Union occupation of the

Cumberland Gap The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its r ...

for three months.

Background

The Confederates held a long line of fortifications across Kentucky, Tennessee and into Missouri under

Albert Sidney Johnston Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) served as a general in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army. He saw extensive combat during his 34-year military career, figh ...

. The center of Johnston's defenses was

Bowling Green, KY Bowling Green is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the provisional capital of Confederate Kentucky during the American Civil War. As of the ...

with the left flank anchored at Island No. 10 on the Mississippi River and the right held by Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer at the

. In early 1862 the Union Army had met with great success in the Western Theater. A string of victories at Mill Springs, Fort Henry,

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

Island No. 10 Island Number Ten was an island in the Mississippi River near Tiptonville, Tennessee and the site of a major eponymous battle in the American Civil War. In the mid-19th century the United States Government began to adopt a uniform numbering plan ...

, and Shiloh had broken the Confederate defenses at several key points, and both Zollicoffer and Johnston had died in action (at Mill Springs and Shiloh respectively).

Opposing Forces

Union

*7th Division,

Army of the Ohio The 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 1st Army of the Ohio General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. ...

- Brig. Gen.

George W. Morgan George Washington Morgan (September 20, 1820 – July 26, 1893) 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 Ameri ...

**24th Brigade - Brig. Gen.

Samuel P. Carter Samuel Perry "Powhatan" Carter (August 6, 1819 – May 26, 1891) 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 Na ...

**25th Brigade - Brig. Gen.

James G. Spears James Gallant Spears (March 29, 1816 – July 22, 1869) was an American general who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, Civil War. Leading a unit composed primarily of Tennessee loyalists, he participated in early battles ...

**26th Brigade - Col.

John F. DeCourcy John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

**27th Brigade - Brig. Gen. Absalom Baird **Artillery - Cpt. Jacob T. Foster

Confederate

*Stevenson's Division - Brig. Gen.

Carter L. Stevenson Carter Littlepage Stevenson, Jr. (September 21, 1817 – August 15, 1888) 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 ...

**2nd Brigade - Col James Edward Rains **3rd Brigade - Brig. Gen. Seth Maxwell Barton **5th Brigade - Col. Thomas H. Taylor

Campaign against the Cumberland Gap

In March 1862 Brig. Gen.

sent a brigade under Brig. Gen.

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,

and Absalom Baird along with a brigade of artillery and cavalry. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen.

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 (March 23, 1818November 19, 1898) was a 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 Per ...

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 General Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824March 28, 1893) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indi ...

, Confederate commander in eastern Kentucky, proposed a threat against Nashville to draw Union forces away from the gap. Only Morgan got his wish.William W. Luckett
Cumberland Gap National Historic Park
''Tennessee Historical Quarterly'', Vol. XXIII, No. 4, December 1964. A Union division under Brig. Gen.

James S. Negley James Scott Negley (December 22, 1826 – August 7, 1901) 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 Stones River. ...

attacked Chattanooga on June 7, 1862. This demonstration against Chattanooga was small but it proved the Union forces could strike where they wanted.ABPP: Chattanooga
/ref> 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 is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Foraging theory is a branch of behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavi ...

. Through two weeks of maneuvering through enemy territory Morgan reached the gap without losing a single man.Morgan's correspondence to Edwin Stanton and Don Carlos Buell
/ref> 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 Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 – January 9, 1872) was a senior United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory: "Old Brains". He was an important par ...

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 Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Western ...

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 Ambrose Everett Burnside (May 23, 1824 – September 13, 1881) was an American army officer and politician who became a senior Union general in the Civil War and three times Governor of Rhode Island, as well as being a successful inventor ...

recaptured it in 1863.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumberland Gap (June 1862) Cumberland Gap 1862 Cumberland Gap 1862 Cumberland Gap 1862 Cumberland Gap 1862 Cumberland Gap 1862 1862 in the American Civil War 1862 in Kentucky 1862 in Tennessee 1862 in Virginia June 1862 events