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Near Prestonsburg in Floyd County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
 

The Battle of Middle Creek

January 10, 1862

 
 
The Battle of Middle Creek Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Duane Hall, May 22, 2013
1. The Battle of Middle Creek Marker
Inscription. Middle Creek was Eastern Kentucky's largest and most significant Civil War battle. It was fought during the first phase of the war, when it was still doubtful which government would control the region. The Confederates never regained the strategic advantage they lost as a result of this battle.

Although Floyd County and the Upper Big Sandy Valley remained a no man's land for the duration of the war, the battle 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 one another, 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, former Ohio Senator James A. Garfield, and cast into doubt the military competence of the Confederate commander, Kentucky politician and Mexican War hero Humphrey Marshall. Garfield would use his success at Middle Creek as a stepping stone to the White House, while Marshall would find Confederate authorities questioning his military judgment.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is January 10, 1862.
 
Location.
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37° 39.042′ N, 82° 48.817′ W. Marker is near Prestonsburg, Kentucky, in Floyd County. Marker can be reached from Kentucky Route 114, 0.1 miles east of Kentucky Route 104, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located at the Middle Creek National Battlefield. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Prestonsburg KY 41653, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Why They Fought Here (here, next to this marker); Kentucky Blue Blood versus Ohio Self-Made Man (here, next to this marker); Eastern Kentucky's Civil War Battles and Skirmishes, 1863-1864 (here, next to this marker); Eastern Kentucky's Civil War Battles and Skirmishes, 1861-1862 (here, next to this marker); The Middle Creek National Battlefield Foundation (here, next to this marker); Kentuckian versus Kentuckian (II) (here, next to this marker); Kentuckian versus Kentuckian (I) (here, next to this marker); The Battle of Middle Creek / The Fitzpatrick Farm (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Prestonsburg.
 
More about this marker. Marker is one of eight interpretive signs at the site.
 
Also see . . .  Middle Creek National Battlefield. Official website of the Middle Creek National Battlefield Foundation. (Submitted on October 8, 2013.) 
 
Middle Creek Battlefield Interpretive Signs image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Duane Hall, May 22, 2013
2. Middle Creek Battlefield Interpretive Signs
Part of Middle Creek Battlefield near Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Duane Hall, May 22, 2013
3. Part of Middle Creek Battlefield near Marker
Brig. Gen. James A. Garfield image. Click for full size.
Brady's National Photographic Portrait Galleries (courtesy of Library of Congress), circa 1863
4. Brig. Gen. James A. Garfield
Photo taken between 1860 and 1865 by Brady's National Photographic Portrait Galleries.
Humphrey Marshall, Representative from Kentucky, Thirty-fifth Congress image. Click for full size.
Julian Vannerson (courtesy of the Library of Congress), 1859
5. Humphrey Marshall, Representative from Kentucky, Thirty-fifth Congress
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 29, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 843 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on October 8, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.   4, 5. submitted on May 31, 2019, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.

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Mar. 19, 2024