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.
Leave Nothing Useful Behind. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. 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.
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 in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is September 17, 1862.
Location. 36° 36.246′ N, 83°
Click or scan to see this page online
40.43′ W. Marker is near Middlesboro, Kentucky, in Bell County. Marker 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.
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 308 times since then and 26 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.
