Mill Springs Battlefield

— National Historic Landmark —

The Confederates Take the Offensive
The Confederates had been in Mill Springs less than a month when two Union armies began moving on their position. Most of the Confederate army was well-positioned across the river at Beech Grove. The commanding general decided to attack the first Union army before the second could arrive.

The Battle Begins
It was cold and pouring rain when the Confederates marched out of Beech Grove just after midnight on January 19, 1862. They found the Federals deployed on both sides of the Mill Springs road about two miles south of present-day Nancy. Part of the Confederate force deployed west of the road. The rest cut east and followed a deep ravine to a position below the Union soldiers.

Retreat to Mill Springs
The Confederates in the ravine repeatedly charged the Federals at a split-rail fence atop the hill. Neither side gained any ground until a Union regiment west of the road executed a bayonet charge and got behind the Confederates in the ravine. The Confederate lines crumbled and the army raced toward Beech Grove. That night, they escaped to Mill Springs, leaving artillery, wagons, horses and supplies behind.

Paving the Way to Victory
The Battle of Mill Springs was the first major Union victory of the Civil War. It crushed the eastern end of



the Confederate defense line in Kentucky and prefaced a series of Confederate defeats. Following another defeat in April at Shiloh, Tennessee, the Confederates withdrew to Mississippi. They never regained the ground they had lost.

Photo captions:Left portraits: General George H. Thomas commanded the Union forces at the battle. General Felix Zolllicoffer commanded the Confederate forces. He was killed at the battle. Right battle drawing: The Battle of Mill Springs, January 19, 1862.

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