Despite the Kentucky state legislature's declaration of neutrality on May 16, 1861, the Confederacy decided to make its move northward from the secessionist state of Tennessee. The Confederate seizure of Columbus and the occupation of Hickman, an important location because of its vital rail and river lines and its proximity to the Tennessee border, on September 3, 1861, was seen as an invasion by the Union. On March 1, 1862, Confederate troops withdrew from Columbus and Hickman as Union Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's forces took over strategic points in western Kentucky.

Although the community had a strong allegiance to the Confederacy, it was raided by Confederate forces on several occasions during the war. One such raid occurred on July 15, 1863, when Southern troops raided local stores in Hickman and Columbus and captured a Union steamboat, thus forcing a retreat by the Union army back to its Columbus fortifications.

This site has local significance because of its association with military activities and events that achieved or affected important local objectives of the Vicksburg campaign.