The Battle of Barbourville was one of the early engagements of the American Civil War. It occurred September 9, 1861, in Knox County, Kentucky during the campaign known as the Kentucky Confederate Offensive. The battle is considered the first Confederate victory in the commonwealth, and threw a scare into Federal commanders, who rushed troops to central Kentucky in an effort to repel the invasion, which was finally thwarted at the Battle of Camp Wildcat in October. The Battle of ivy Mountain was fought in 1861 and was a battle of the American Civil War While recruiting in southeast Kentucky, Rebels under Col. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederate) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties Killed in action: 110,000 Total dead: 360,000 Wounded: 275,200 Killed in action: 93,000 Total dead: 258... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Knox County is a county located in the state of Kentucky. ...

Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer’s Confederates had moved from Tennessee in an effort to push from the Cumberland Gap into central Kentucky and gain control of the important border state. Ten days after his 5,400-man force left their base, Zollicoffer occupied the Cumberland Gap and took position at the Cumberland Ford (near present day Pineville) to counter the Unionist activity in the area. For much of the summer, Federal sympathizers had been organizing and training recruits at Camp Andrew Johnson near Barbourville. Zollicoffer was determined to seize the camp and eliminate the threat. He also wanted to relieve pressure on the army of Albert S. Johnston and divert troops away from Johnston's sector. A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... Felix Kirk Zollicoffer (May 19, 1812 – January 19, 1862) 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. ... Some Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was formed in February 1861 to defend the Confederate States of America, which had itself been formed that same year when seven southern states seceded from the United States (with four more to follow). ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 36th 109,247 km² 195 km 710 km 2. ... Cumberland Gap in winter The Cumberland Gap is a pass across the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, famous in American history for its role as the chief passageway through the mountains for early settlers. ... In this map:  Union states  Union territories  The border states  Bleeding Kansas, the more contentious of the Kansas-Nebraska Act states stood in the path of the border states  The Confederacy  Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories The term border states refers to five slave states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland... Pineville is a city located in Bell County, Kentucky. ... The Union was a name used by many to refer to the Northern states during the American Civil War. ... Barbourville is a city located in Knox County, Kentucky. ...

In a heavy morning fog, Zollicoffer sent forward a detachment of some 800 men under Col. Joel A. Battle. The camp had been essentially vacated as the recruits had been shepherded off to nearby Camp Dick Robinson, where there were several thousand Federal troops. As Battle approached the empty camp, he encountered a small force of 300 Home Guardsmen under Capt. Isaac J. Black, who hastily removed planking from the bridge to prevent passage by the Confederates. However, the weight of numbers soon prevailed and Zollicoffer had his victory. He seized the camp, destroyed the buildings, and collected arms and equipment left behind by the retreating recruits.

Black lost 1 man killed, 1 wounded, and 13 captured. They managed to kill 7 Confederates before withdrawing.

References and links

• Official Records of the American Civil War
• Battle of Barbourville reeenactment webpage
• Mycivilwar.com description of the battle