Audio
Tour Stop #2: Zollicoffer Park
Transcript
Welcome to Tour Stop 2: Zollicoffer Park.
During the battle, this park and the surrounding area were the scenes of the heaviest fighting.
Confederates attacked up the road from the southeast and out of the deep, wooded ravine located directly in front of you to the east of the park.
Federals made their stand along the rail fence to your left, just north of the park.
Today you can see a facsimile of this fence, recreated roughly where the original stood.
Battle lines during the conflict were quite fluid, and it was near the park gate that General Felix K. Zollicoffer rode forward to speak with what he thought were his own troops, and was shot and killed.
The fighting here continued for over two hours. Failure at the command level and malfunctioning weapons led to the eventual Confederate retreat.
This stop features multiple interesting sites, including the monument to Confederate General Felix K. Zollicoffer, the marker for Confederate mass grave, both of which were placed in 1910 by Confederate veterans, and the symbolic Confederate headstones.
The earth print of the large white oak tree where General Zollicoffer's body was placed after his death, is located to the left of the park gate near a descendant of the original oak tree.
Named the "Zollie" tree, the original tree was decorated each Memorial Day, beginning in the early 1900s by a little girl named Dorothy Burton.
This was the first act towards preservation of Mill Springs Battlefield.
Unfortunately, the tree itself was felled in a storm in 1995, leaving only the stump. The stump can be viewed in the Visitor Center museum.
Note the interpretive signs in this area, and the walking trail that takes you down to the ravine and behind the Confederate line.
The trail is three quarters of a mile and is moderately difficult.
To reach Tour Stop 3, continue south down Kentucky-235, proceeding one quarter mile to Tour Stop 3 located on your left.
Description
Zollicoffer Park is located in the core part of the battlefield where some of the heaviest fighting took place on January 19, 1862. A 1-acre lot was donated to Bennett Young by Henry Green and Colanza Frances (Logan) Trimble in 1910, this park was the first initiative to preserve any portion of the Mill Springs Battlefield. Here you will learn about several of the interesting facets of the area and battlefield.
Date Created
04/21/2024
Copyright and Usage Info