The June 1862 capture of the Cumberland Gap was a Union 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 state ...

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 i ...

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 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 The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in Confederate States of America, Confederate terminology, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads in Union (American Civil War), Union terminology, was fought in Wayne County, ...

, 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 Dani ...

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 **24th Brigade - Brig. Gen. Samuel P. Carter **25th Brigade - Brig. Gen. James G. Spears **26th Brigade - Col. John F. DeCourcy **27th Brigade - Brig. Gen.

Absalom Baird Absalom Baird (August 20, 1824 – June 14, 1905) was a career United States Army officer who distinguished himself as a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Baird received the Medal of Honor for his military actions. Early life Baird ...

**Artillery - Cpt. Jacob T. Foster

Confederate

*Stevenson's Division - Brig. Gen. Carter L. Stevenson **2nd Brigade - Col James Edward Rains **3rd Brigade - Brig. Gen. Seth Maxwell Barton **5th Brigade - Col.

Thomas H. Taylor Thomas Hart Taylor (July 31, 1825 – April 12, 1901) was a Confederate States Army colonel, brigade commander, provost marshal and last Confederate post commander at Mobile, Alabama, during the American Civil War. His appointment as a brigadier ...

Campaign against the Cumberland Gap

In March 1862 Brig. Gen. George W. Morgan 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

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 Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

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 I ...

, Confederate commander in eastern Kentucky, proposed a threat against

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

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 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 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 Wes ...

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