I'm Ranger Cameron at Camp Nelson National Monument and this is Civil War 160th in 60.
In central Kentucky during the Civil War, the Hickman covered bridge,
a single span wooden bridge, was the only crossing over the Kentucky River
south of the state capitol of Frankfort.
Hickman Bridge was critical for the movement of US troops, animals, and wagons
through Kentucky to areas of war further south. Its strategic importance necessitated defense,
and by the spring of 1863, Federal forces were assigned to protect it.
On March 28th, 1863, US soldiers commanded by Brigadier General Quincy Gilmore
engaged in a firefight with Confederate troops, south of the bridge.
The Confederates retreated south and the US forces skirmished with them
over the next few days until they withdrew into Tennessee.
The fights around Hickman Bridge were examples of the small-scale actions
that defined combat in Kentucky, following the major battles of Richmond and Perryville in 1862.
The US Army's defense of Hickman Bridge was ensured
with the establishment of Camp Nelson on April 29th, 1863.
The minor clash at the bridge was the only combat that occurred in the area of Camp Nelson during the Civil War.