Civil War Rifle Trench

Civil War Rifle Trench (HM2B8Z)

Location: Bowling Green, KY 42101 Warren County
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Country: United States of America
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N 36° 59.946', W 86° 26.237'

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Inscription
Bowling Green's Civil War Defenses

The Confederate army occupied Bowling Green from September 1861 to February 1862. During that time, troops camped nearby to guard against a Union attack coming through the open ground between Fort Webb and Fort C.F. Smith.

The Union army pushed the Confederates from Bowling Green and Kentucky in February 1862. As part of the city's defenses, Union soldiers dug a long rifle trench. It began near the L&N Railroad tracks and ended in the middle of this park.

Rifle Pit of Rifle Trench?

Judging from the shape and length of this feature, it was mislabeled as a rifle pit. This was actually a rifle trench, designed to protect a large number of men in this zigzag defensive line.

Building a Rifle Trench

There were several ways to construct a rifle trench, One common method was to dig a trench and throw the dirt up on one side to create a breast high wall. Safely behind the wall of dirt, soldiers could fire their weapons against an approaching enemy.

Map caption
This enlarged section of the 1863 Union Army Corps of Engineers map of Bowling Green shows the location of this trench. You are near the lower-right end of the trench.
Details
HM NumberHM2B8Z
Tags
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Placed By
Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, September 8th, 2018 at 11:01pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 550069 N 4094920
Decimal Degrees36.99910000, -86.43728333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 59.946', W 86° 26.237'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 59' 56.76" N, 86° 26' 14.22" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)270, 502
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 400 Center St, Bowling Green KY 42101, US
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