Long Road Back to Kentucky:
The 1862 Confederate Invasion

T he often-overlooked Western campaign of the war with a specific emphasis on Kentucky's involvement in the American Civil War. DVD

Middle Creek
Civil War in Kentucky

American Civil War
January 10, 1862


War in Kentucky: From Shiloh to Perryville
Union gains in the Mississippi Valley and in Tennessee and Kentucky had brought the Confederacy to a point of crisis.

More than a month after Confederate Col. John S. Williams left Kentucky, following the fight at Ivy Mountain, Brigadier General Humphrey Marshall led another force into southeast Kentucky to continue recruiting activities. From his headquarters in Paintsville, on the Big Sandy River, northwest of Prestonsburg, Marshall recruited volunteers and had a force of more than 2,000 men by early January, but could only partially equip them.

Union Brigadier General Don Carlos Buell directed Col. James Garfield to force Marshall to retreat back into Virginia. Leaving Louisa, Garfield took command of the 18th Brigade and began his march south on Paintsville. He compelled the Confederates to abandon Paintsville and retreat to the vicinity of Prestonsburg. Garfield slowly headed south, but swampy areas and numerous streams slowed his movements, and he arrived in the vicinity of Marshall on the 9th.

Heading out at 4:00 am on January 10, Garfield marched a mile south to the mouth of Middle Creek, fought off some Rebel cavalry and turned west to attack Marshall. Marshall had put his men in line of battle west and south of the creek near its forks. Garfield attacked shortly after noon, and the fighting continued for most of the afternoon until Union reinforcements arrived in time to dissuade the Confederates from assailing the Federal left. Instead, the Rebels retired south and were ordered back to Virginia on the 24th.

Garfield's force moved to Prestonsburg after the fight and then retired to Paintsville. Union forces had halted the Confederate 1861 offensive in Kentucky, and Middle Creek demonstrated that their strength had not diminished. This victory, along with Mill Springs a little more than a week later, cemented Union control of eastern Kentucky until Confederate General Braxton Bragg launched his offensive in the summer and fall.

Following these two January victories in Kentucky, the Federals carried the war into Tennessee in February.

Result(s): Union victory (indecisive)

Location: Floyd County

Campaign: Offensive in Eastern Kentucky (1862)

Date(s): January 10, 1862

Principal Commanders: Col. James Garfield [US]; Brigadier General Humphrey Marshall [CS]

Forces Engaged: 18th Brigade [US]; brigade [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 92 total (US 27; CS 65)

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American Civil War Book Titles

The Tale of the Devil: The Biography of Devil Anse Hatfield
The story of Hatfield patriarch Devil Anse Hatfield, beginning with his childhood in frontier Appalachia; it also covers his Civil War days as a noted Confederate soldier.

The Civil War: A Narrative
Fort Sumter to Perryville

From the secession crisis of early 1861 to the inauguration of Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States. From Yankee disaster at First Manassas to Lee's debut in western Virginia. From riverboat actions on the Mississippi, to McClellan's movement up the York-James Peninsula


The Union Cavalry in the Civil War: From Fort Sumter to Gettysburg, 1861-1863
How the Union cavalry was raised, organized, equipped, and trained. Detailed descriptions of the campaigns and battles in which the cavalry engaged--the Peninsula, Shenandoah Valley/Second Bull Run, Lee's invasion of Maryland, Kelly's Ford, Stoneman's 1863 Raid, Brandy Station


Prelude to Civil War: The Nullification Controversy in South Carolina
From 1816 to 1836 planters of the Palmetto State tumbled from a contented and prosperous life to a world rife with economic distress, guilt over slavery, and apprehension of slave rebellion. Compelling details ofhow this reversal of fortune led the political leaders down the path to states rights doctrines


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