Audio
Tour Stop #7: Confederate Fortified Camp at Beech Grove
Transcript
Welcome to Tour Stop #7: Confederate Fortified Camp at Beech Grove.
This is the location of only a small fraction of Zollicoffer's winter encampment and earthworks. General Zollicoffer was originally located on
the south side of the Cumberland River. But seeing an opportunity for strategic advantage, he moved his troops on December 10th 1861 to Beech Grove.
From the point of view of Zollicoffer, an inexperienced military officer, Beech Grove was an ideal area to defend, set up on a peninsula formed
by the Cumberland River and White Oak Creek. All Zollicoffer would need to do is defend one side from attack.
From the point of view of his commanding officer, Major General George Crittenden, Zollicoffer had put himself in the terrible situation
with his back to the river. If Federal forces broke through the earthworks on the north side of the encampment, Confederate forces would be
stuck between a rock and a hard place, with the river encumbering and the evasive maneuvers.
Despite Christensen's direct order not to cross the river, Zollicoffer had already established his winter encampment here at Beech Grove.
The first thing Zollicoffer had his troops do was to create earthworks and entrenchments designed by a military engineer to protect themselves
from Federal attacks from the North.
Then came the work of creating the soldiers winter quarters. If you can imagine all of the trees surrounding you at Stop #7 would have been cleared out
to use as material to build cabins, as well as for firewood and to create sightlines. In the winter quarters of Beech Grove consisted of hundreds
of log cabins.
The men and their officers were so focused on creating these cabins that they didn't train or drill, which may have had an impact on the preparedness
of Zollicoffer's troops who were already extremely inexperienced.
To continue on your tour, proceed south to the end of the road to Stop #8.
Description
This location is where General Felix Zollicoffer's Confederate forces set up their winter quarters and fortifications when they crossed the Cumberland River on December 9-10, 1862. Hundreds of log huts were erected for the comfort of the soldiers while they dug the earthworks to protect themselves. This position is where the retreating Confederate soldiers fell into after their defeat ten miles north near Logan's Crossroads.
Date Created
02/13/2024
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