July 2, 2021

July 2, 2021

From Knoxville, TN we drove north across the Appalachian Mountains into Kentucky to visit two newly established Civil War parks. Our first stop is Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument. Just before arriving we cross the Cumberland River which runs through a steep sided canyon. Although Mill Spring claims to be the first big victory for the Union in the West, It hardly rates a mention in most Civil War timelines. Nevertheless Aimee and I both found it interesting, giving us the opportunity to learn a little about the early days of the Civil War, especially as it applied to Kentucky. Interestingly, since it was so early in the War, the adjacent National Cemetery is one of the oldest and helped begin the system of interning soldiers.

At the onset of the Civil War, Kentucky remained neutral. The Confederates moved troops in anyway and the Union quickly countered. A rebel force crossed the Cumberland and attacked the Union force here in January 1862. The Confederates lost the battle essentially because they were mostly still using obsolescent flintlock rifles that failed to fire in the damp conditions. Most Union soldiers had the more modern percussion cap rifles that fire reliably in any weather. Forced to retreat, they escaped in the dark, by ferry, back across the Cumberland, but not before abandoning all their arms, cannon, and supplies.

We hiked around the main battlefield site. The grass was dewy just like it probably was during the battle. To make matters worse for the rebels, their general was killed during the opening stages of the battle.

We drove north an hour toward Camp Nelson National Monument. Traffic came to a dead halt for a half hour, a mile short of the park, and just as we were crossing the bridge over the Kentucky River. It is steep sided just like the Cumberland. We learned that is why Camp Nelson is here.

Camp Nelson was a supply depot for the army pushing into Tennessee and Georgia. Because of the criticality of the supplies, this site was chosen because the river cliffs provided a natural defense against a Southern assault.

This site was proclaimed a National Monument in 2018 for its black heritage. During the War, Camp Nelson became one of the main recruiting sites for colored troops, most of whom were slaves fleeing the South. At war's end the North had more colored soldiers than the South had total troops. I found it interesting that a new Federal holiday of Juneteenth was enacted to mark the end of slavery. But it wasn't. Slavery continued in Kentucky until ratification of the 13th amendment six months later in Dec 1865.

After watching the park film and perusing the museum, we hiked around the Depot Trail reading the many storyboards describing what this camp produced and stored. In some ways this park is the Civil War equivalent of the WWII Rosie the Riveter Park. The North won the war partly because it could out-produce the agricultural slavery-hampered South. Successful armies need gobs of supplies. Even Napoleon commented that ‘the army marches on its stomach’. Camp Nelson was the epitome of industry. Today the terrain is mostly rolling Bluegrass surrounded by scenic farms.

From Camp Nelson we drove north to Lexington, then West to Louisville, staying on the Indiana side next to Clarksville. One might think these two towns are named after Lewis and Clark. Clarksville was actually founded by William's brother George Rogers Clark at the site of the Falls of the Ohio. He named the opposite side in 1780 after the French King Louis XVI who was a major ally during the Revolutionary War.

We had a nice dinner outdoors in downtown New Albany, IN. Since we spent the day in Kentucky passing by many distilleries, I ordered a Bourbon cocktail with our meal.