Waiting for the Battle That Never Came
The Old Wilderness Road cutting through the Gap was a natural
invasion route. For the Confederacy, it led to the rich Kentucky bluegrass country to the north. For the Union, it led to
the Northern sympathizers of East Tennessee, and to an opportunity to cut rebel supply lines. In late summer of 1861, the
Confederacy seized the Gap and made it the eastern anchor of a defense line extending to the Mississippi River. Brigadier
General William Churchwell was placed in command, and fortified the garrison during the fall of 1861. He built seven forts
on the north facing slope, and cleared the mountains of all trees within one mile of each fort. The Confederate forces were
already stretched and were also desperately needed in
other areas.
Union Brigadier General George W. Morgan soon arrived to take possession
of the Gap. The 20,000 men under his command began building nine south-facing batteries to repel an invasion. "But none came."
The Confederates under Lt. Gen. Kirby Smith flanked the Gap with a force of 12,000 men and moved into Kentucky,
severing Morgan's supply line. Without food and still fearing an attack, General Morgan boldly led his men north through enemy
territory to safety.
The Confederates returned to the Gap, cleared up the mess Morgan and
his men left behind, and strengthened the forts. Many skirmishes took place, as Unionists from Tennessee raided the garrison.
In September 1863 a Union force under Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside moved toward the Gap. On September 7, the Yankees destroyed
provisions stored at the Iron Furnace. Burnside also deceived the Confederate commander, Brig. Gen. John W. Frazer, into believing
that his force was much larger. Believing his Confederates to be outmanned, and short
of provisions necessary for a long siege, Frazer surrendered his garrison on September 9. (See: Surrender of the Cumberland Gap.)
"Lining up along the Harlan Road, the Confederates were amazed to see the
small force to which they had surrendered." The Gap remained in Union hands until the end of the war. Except for a garrison
inspected by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in January 1864, when he labeled the Cumberland Gap the "Gibraltar of America," there
was little excitement. Meanwhile, the war fought to its end in the South and East.
By the end of the war the Gap had changed hands four times, yet no major
confrontation took place here.
Sources: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies; National Park Service
