BATTLE OF MIDDLE CREEK

      August 1861 election, however, sent a Unionist majority to Frankfort. The

      new legislature voted to suppress the rebellion, and Federal marshals

      began arresting men suspected of treason. In September, 1861, Floyd County

      became a sanctuary for fleeing Confederates, and a Confederate recruiting

      post was established near Prestonsburg.

      During the Spring and Summer of 1861, while Northern and Southern States

      were mobilizing for war, peace-loving Kentuckians were fighting to keep

      their state neutral. Their hopes were dashed by the August 1861 election,

      which sent a Unionist majority to Frankfort. When the new legislature

      convened in early September, it passed laws which encouraged Federal

      occupation and suppressed the rebellion. Federal Marshalls began arresting

      men suspected of treason, and Federal troops took possession of Paducah,

      Louisville, and other strategic points. The Confederates countered by

      establishing recruiting posts at Bowling Green and Prestonsburg.

      Although Eastern Kentucky was politically divided, Confederate feeling in

      the region ran high enough for it to be considered a Confederate

      sanctuary. In late September, 1861, former U.S. Senator John C.

      Breckinridge of Lexington, fleeing arrest, passed through Prestonsburg on

      his way to Southwestern Virginia. He stopped long enough to visit the

      Samuel May Farm north of town, where he made a morale-boosting speech to

      the men of the newly-organized 5th Kentucky Infantry, C.S.A., camped in

      May's pasture.

      By early October 1,000 men were being drilled at the May Farm, and more

      were arriving daily. This development alarmed the Union authorities at

      Louisville, causing General William T. Sherman to order Brigadier General

      William "Bull" Nelson to go to Maysville, take command of four

      newly-organized Ohio regiments, march up the Pound Gap Road, and drive the

      Confederates out of the Big Sandy Valley.

      Following the Battle of Ivy Mountain, fought on November 8th, 1861, Nelson

      occupied Pikeville, forcing the 5th Kentucky and its new commander,

      Colonel John S. Williams, to retreat to Pound Gap. Nelson then marched his

      troops out of the region, judging that the lateness of the season and

      their lack of supplies made a Confederate counter-attack unlikely.

      Nelson underestimated the Confederacy’s determination to hold on to the

      Big Sandy Valley, however, and in mid-December, 1861, General Humphrey

      Marshall, starting from his base at Wytheville, Virginia, moved through

      Pound Gap and occupied Pikeville, Prestonsburg, and Paintsville with a

      force composed of three infantry regiments, a cavalry battalion, and a

      battery of artillery.

      When Don Carlos Buell, the Union commander in Louisville, learned of

      Marshall's invasion, he contacted Colonel James A. Garfield, placed him in

      command of the 18th Brigade of the Army of the Ohio, and gave him the

      mission of driving Marshall's Confederates out of the Big Sandy Valley.

      This set the stage for the Battle of Middle Creek, which occurred on

      January 10th, 1862.

      John C. Breckenridge of Lexington, Kentucky,

      the 1860 Presidential Nominee of the Southern Democratic Party, stopped in

      Prestonsburg in late September, 1861, on his way to Southwestern Virginia.

      In the Fall of 1861, Confederates living in Eastern Kentucky used the May

      Farm north of Prestonsburg as their rallying point and recruitment post.

Opposing Generals of  The Union and Confederate forces were led by two very

      different men. Humphrey Marshall was a Kentucky blueblood and a

      representative of one of its leading families. James A. Garfield was a

      self-made man born in a log cabin on his father's thirty-acre Ohio farm.

      A native of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Garfield was a self-educated

      citizen-soldier and a self-made man. Born in poverty on his father's

      thirty-acre farm, he graduated from Williams College in 1856 and pursued a

      teaching career, becoming Professor of Latin and Greek at Hiram College in

      Hiram, Ohio. An ardent abolitionist, he was elected to the Ohio Senate on

      the Republican ticket in 1859. When the war came, Governor Dennison gave

      him a colonel's commission and asked him to raise a regiment of

      volunteers.

      In December, 1861, Union General Don Carlos Buell ordered Garfield to

      transport his regiment, the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, to the new Union

      base at Catlettsburg, where he had begun stockpiling military supplies.

      Reporting to Buell in Louisville, Garfield was placed in charge of the

      newly-formed 18th Brigade and given the job of driving Marshall's

      Confederates out of the Big Sandy Valley. .

      Following his victory at Middle Creek, which was widely reported in the

      Eastern press, Garfield was promoted to Brigadier General. Establishing

      his headquarters at Pikeville, he and his soldiers occupied the valley

      until early April, 1862. On March 14th, marching through deep snow, he led

      an expedition to Pound Gap on the Kentucky-Virginia State Line and broke

      up the Confederate outpost at that location, driving 300 rebel soldiers

      down the mountain and back into Virginia.

      Marshall was the proud representative of one of Kentucky's most

      distinguished families. His grandfather was Humphrey Marshall, the

      historian and statesman, and his father was John J. Marshall of Frankfort,

      a highly-respected lawyer and jurist. After graduating from West Point in

      1832, Marshall served with the U. S. Mounted Rangers during the Black Hawk

      War and then left the service to establish a successful law practice in

      Louisville. In the Mexican War he served as Colonel of the First Kentucky

      Cavalry and won distinction by leading a gallant cavalry charge during the

      Battle of Buena Vista. 

      Returning to civilian life, Marshall ran for Congress and was elected

      Representative of the Louisville district in 1849. He served as President

      Fillmore's Commissioner to China in 1852, and after his return, he was

      elected to the 34th and 35th Congress on the American ticket. A moderate

      on the slavery question, Marshall was a good orator and canvassed the

      state for Democratic Party presidential nominee John C. Breckenridge in

      1860. Upon the secession of the southern states, he raised a large number

      of volunteers for the Confederate Army and was  commissioned Brigadier

      General by President Jefferson Davis on October 30th, 1861. Establishing

      his headquarters at Wytheville, Virginia, Marshall was given the

      assignment of protecting the mountain passes on the Virginia border and

      gaining control of Eastern Kentucky.

The Battle of Middle Creek was Eastern

      Kentucky’s most significant Civil War battle. It was fought during the

      first phase of the war, when the question of which government would

      control the region was still in doubt. The strategic advantage which the

      Confederates lost as a result of the battle was never regained.

      Although Floyd County and the Upper Big Sandy Valley remained a no-man’s

      land for the duration of the war, the Battle of Middle Creek effectively

      ended the Confederacy’s first bid to gain control of the region.

      For Kentuckians the battle was a poignant example of neighbor against

      neighbor. Floyd County men of the 5th Kentucky Infantry, C.S.A. and the

      14th Kentucky Infantry, U.S.A. fired volleys at each other, charged each

      other’s lines, and engaged in hand-to-hand combat on the steep hillsides

      above the Forks of Middle Creek.

      The battle’s outcome brought national attention to the Union commander and

      called into question the military competence of the Confederate commander.

      Former Ohio State Senator James A. Garfield would use his success at

      Middle Creek as a stepping stone to the White House, and Kentucky

      politician and Mexican War hero Humphrey Marshall would find Confederate

      authorities questioning his military judgment.

      The Battle of Middle Creek: January 10th, 1862

      Source- Harper's Weekly

Battle Summary: Middle Creek, KY

      Middle Creek   

      Other Names: None

      Location: Floyd County

      Campaign: Offensive in Eastern Kentucky (1862)

      Date(s): January 10, 1862

      Principal Commanders: Col. James Garfield [US]; Brig. Gen. Humphrey

      Marshall [CS]

      Forces Engaged: 18th Brigade [US]; brigade [CS]

      Estimated Casualties: 92 total (US 27; CS 65)

      Description: More than a month after Confederate Col. John S. Williams

      left Kentucky, following the fight at Ivy Mountain, Brig. Gen. Humphrey

      Marshall led another force into southeast Kentucky to continue recruiting

      activities. From his headquarters in Paintsville, on the Big Sandy River,

      northwest of Prestonsburg, Marshall recruited volunteers and had a force

      of more than 2,000 men by early January, but could only partially equip

      them. Union Brig. Gen. Don Carlos Buell directed Col. James Garfield to

      force Marshall to retreat back into Virginia. Leaving Louisa, Garfield

      took command of the 18th Brigade and began his march south on Paintsville.

      He compelled the Confederates to abandon Paintsville and retreat to the

      vicinity of Prestonsburg. Garfield slowly headed south, but swampy areas

      and numerous streams slowed his movements, and he arrived in the vicinity

      of Marshall on the 9th. Heading out at 4:00 am on January 10, Garfield

      marched a mile south to the mouth of Middle Creek, fought off some Rebel

      cavalry and turned west to attack Marshall. Marshall had put his men in

      line of battle west and south of the creek near its forks. Garfield

      attacked shortly after noon, and the fighting continued for most of the

      afternoon until Union reinforcements arrived in time to dissuade the

      Confederates from assailing the Federal left. Instead, the Rebels retired

      south and were ordered back to Virginia on the 24th. Garfield’s force

      moved to Prestonsburg after the fight and then retired to Paintsville.

      Union forces had halted the Confederate 1861 offensive in Kentucky, and

      Middle Creek demonstrated that their strength had not diminished. This

      victory, along with Mill Springs a little more than a week later, cemented

      Union control of eastern Kentucky until Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg

      launched his offensive in the summer and fall. Following these two January

      victories in Kentucky, the Federals carried the war into Tennessee in

      February.

      Result(s): Union victory (indecisive)

      CWSAC Reference #: KY005

      Preservation Priority: III.3 (Class C)

Historic and Environmental Preservation:  Middle Creek Battlefield

            Middle Creek Battlefield

            Located near Prestonsburg in Floyd County, the Middle Creek

            Battlefield has received special attention during the planning and

            design of the KY 114 highway project from U.S. 23 to Clark

            Elementary School. The Transportation Cabinet is making every effort

            to preserve this battlefield and many other historical sites

            impacted by highway construction.

            The Battle of Middle Creek

            Hay fields, framed by mountains and dissected by streams, now appear

            no different from those of any other eastern Kentucky farm, although

            this area was once stained with human blood and surrounded with the

            smoke from black powder rifles and artillery during the Civil War.

            While the Battle of Middle Creek may be considered a skirmish when

            compared with other Civil War engagements, its impact on subsequent

            historical events is extremely significant. Not only did this battle

            reverse an early pattern of Confederate victories and keep open a

            route of travel from the Ohio River into Eastern Kentucky (through

            Pound Gap to Abingdon, Virginia), but the Battle of Middle Creek has

            been referred to as “the battle that built a presidency.”

            On December 14, 1861, the 42nd Ohio Regiment was created and placed

            under the command of thirty-year-old Colonel James A. Garfield.

            Orders directed Colonel Garfield and his troops to “proceed to the

            mouth of the Big Sandy (and) drive out or cut off the enemy,”

            establishing a post at Piketon. The troops arrived at the mouth of

            George’s Creek the day after Christmas, divided and traveled three

            different routes before arriving at the mouth of Abbott Creek on

            January 9, 1862. The battle began in the thick mountain fog as the

            troops reached Middle Creek and continued until 5 p.m. when Colonel

            Garfield reported that the “rebels had been driven from the slopes

            at every point” and victory belonged to the Union. Early on January

            11, 1862, Colonel Garfield and his men crossed the Levisa Fork of

            the Big Sandy and “occupied Prestonsburg.” Colonel Garfield’s road

            to the White House had just begun.

            Construction of KY 114

            From the early phases of this project, the Transportation Cabinet

            has partnered with the State Historic Preservation Officer, Kentucky

            Heritage Council and property owners to minimize the impact to the

            Middlecreek Battlefield and aesthetically enhance the design of KY

            114 in the vicinity of this historic site. As a result of these

            efforts, the project will include the following features:

              Construction of a guardwall instead of conventional guardrail:

              This wall is designed to be 32” in height and formed from

              tinted/painted concrete to resemble a rock wall built from native

              sandstone.

              Area bridges and abutments: The sidewalls of the bridges located

              within this section of the project will be constructed to match

              the appearance of the guardwall. The bridge abutments, which can

              be seen from the battlefield, will also be completely constructed

              of formed concrete to match the guardwall.

              Installation of landscaping and an earthen berm: In the area of

              the Middle Creek Battlefield, the cabinet will develop a

              landscaping plan and construct an earthen berm to screen the road

              from the battlefield and to give visitors a sense of seclusion.

              This feature is also designed to minimize the impact of traffic

              noise during reenactment events.

              Reinforced grass shoulders: The pavement of KY 114 will extend

              only one foot beyond the white line at the edge of the driving

              lane, and a specially-designed, reinforced grass shoulder will be

              installed. A minimum amount of right-of-way will be maintained by

              the cabinet, much less than that normally used in highway

              projects.

              Park entrance: A paved park entrance will be added to allow the

              future road to the Interpretive Center to be easily constructed.

            Future Plans

            The Middle Creek Battlefield Historic Landmark Foundation is

            currently preparing a grant application for funds which would be

            used for further development, including construction of a kiosk, a

            parking area, a walking trail from Archer Park to Middle Creek

            Battlefield utilizing an old abandoned railroad bed, a Visitor’s

            Center, a floating pedestrian bridge across Middle Creek, the

            restoration of approximately 500 feet of the only known section of

            the original Pound Gap Road, and installation of interpretive trail

            signs.

            For additional information or comments, contact:

              Johnnie Ross, Environmental Coordinator,

              Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Pikeville District Office

              North Mayo Trail, Pikeville, Kentucky 41502