Audio
Tour Stop #8: The Ferry Crossing
Transcript
Welcome to Tour Stop #8: Ferry Landing.
You're welcome to park here and walk down to the edge of the lake.
By the afternoon of January 19th, the Confederate army was low on morale and exhausted. General Crittenden took note of the state of his troops,
as well as incomplete fortifications, scant provisions, and the presence of union artillery on high ground and decided that it would be impossible
to adequately defend Beech Grove.
On the night of January 19th and the morning of the 20th, the Confederates abandoned their camps and boarded a ferry named the "Noble Ellis,"
and two flat boats, that carried them across the river to Mill Springs. Due to the size of the vessels, everything but the soldiers themselves
was left in Beech Grove.
When Federal soldiers moved into the encampment on the morning of January 20th, they found it abandoned. General George Thomas did not pursue
the Confederate forces across the river.
If you wish to visit Tour Stops# 9 & #10, you must retrace your route to Nancy. From there, take KY-80 East toward Somerset, then U.S. 27 South seven miles
to KY-90 West. Follow KY-90 West for nine miles. Then turn right onto KY-1275. Proceed one mile. Tour Stop #9 is on your right.
Description
At this location, the old roadbed winding down to water led to the ferry station. This ferry was the principle means of crossing from the northern to the southern banks of the Cumberland River and to Mill Springs. Confederate forces under Felix K. Zollicoffer crossed the river here and made their way 1-mile up the Mill Springs Road to an elevated position they could fortify. General George Crittenden used this location to ferry his army across to safety on the night of January 19-20, 1862.
Date Created
02/13/2024
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