Near Middlesboro in Bell County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Leave Nothing Useful Behind

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 7, 2021

1. Leave Nothing Useful Behind Marker

Inscription. The long crater you see here is all that remains of the Union warehouse that stood here in 1862. Advancing Confederates had to wait 18 hours as scattered munitions continued to explode unexpectedly. By then the once-surrounded Union garrison of Cumberland Gap had escaped capture, retreating northward into the Kentucky wilderness.

Cumberland Gap, September 17, 1862
The explosion shook the mountains like a toy in the hands of a monster. The air was filled with dense smoke, so that I could scarcely breathe. Huge masses of rock, cartridge boxes, barrels of powder, and other materials were blown to an indescribable height, and went whirling through the air in wind confusion, falling…a mile from the exploding magazine. A moment later, the burning roof of a building 180-feet-long, used as a store-house…fell in, and set fire to the [cannon] shells stored there.
Lieutenant Colonel George Gallup
14th Kentucky Volunteer Regiment, United States Army
Left behind with orders to burn all supplies and ammunition.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed

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in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is September 17, 1862.

Location. 36° 36.246′ N, 83° 40.43′ W. Marker is near Middlesboro, Kentucky, in Bell County. It is on Wilderness Road Trail, on the left when traveling west. Marker located within Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Middlesboro KY 40965, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Kentucky and in the Cumberland Plateau.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Daniel Boone Trail (here, next to this marker); Daniel Boone's Trail (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Daniel Boone's Trail (a few steps from this marker); Indian Rock (within shouting

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 7, 2021

2. Leave Nothing Useful Behind Marker

distance of this marker); a different marker also named Daniel Boone's Trail (within shouting distance of this marker in Tennessee); An Object Lesson Road (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hard Road to a New Life (approx. 0.2 miles away in Virginia); Warriors' Path (approx. ¼ mile away in Virginia). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Middlesboro.

Also see . . . Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. National Park Service (Submitted on July 24, 2021.)

Crater created from explosion image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 7, 2021

3. Crater created from explosion

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 7, 2021

4. Crater created from explosion

Credits. This page was last revised on July 25, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 24, 2021, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 613 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 24, 2021, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.