On November 8, 1861, a battle occurred between Union and Confederate forces at Ivy Mountain, near what is today what is today known as Prestonburg. The battle was fought at the base of Ivy Mountain, hence its name, and was a major conflict in the Big Sandy Expedition of Brigadier General William "Bull" Nelson.
The confrontation was between a group of twelve detachments from the Union Ohio and Kentucky units and a total of eleven companies of Confederate cavalry and infantry. It was initiated when General William Sherman ordered Nelson's Union detachments to cut off a group of Confederate soldiers, led by Confederate Colonel John S. Williams, who were re-stocking ammunition at Pikeville (then known as Piketon). Williams, upon hearing news of this, began retreating towards Virginia. As Williams retreated, a group of soldiers under Captain Andrew Jackson May stayed and planned an ambush on a narrow road bend near the base of Ivy Mountain.
Despite having gained the advantage of surprise over the Union troops, the Confederates were soon pushed back after the initial clash due to a tactical flanking maneuver by Nelson . Due to a mixture of poor weather conditions and efforts by the Confederate troops to slow them down (such as chopping down trees and laying them over the road), the Union troops under Nelson eventually gave up the chase and returned to camp.
While the battle was not the most decisive in the Civil War, it is generally considered a Union victory, as the Confederates were forced to retreat after their failed ambush. This early Union victory helped solidify the Union's hold on Eastern Kentucky.
- Angus Maske
Sources:
https://worldhistoryproject.org/1861/11/9/battle-of-ivy-mountain
http://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/475
The confrontation was between a group of twelve detachments from the Union Ohio and Kentucky units and a total of eleven companies of Confederate cavalry and infantry. It was initiated when General William Sherman ordered Nelson's Union detachments to cut off a group of Confederate soldiers, led by Confederate Colonel John S. Williams, who were re-stocking ammunition at Pikeville (then known as Piketon). Williams, upon hearing news of this, began retreating towards Virginia. As Williams retreated, a group of soldiers under Captain Andrew Jackson May stayed and planned an ambush on a narrow road bend near the base of Ivy Mountain.
Despite having gained the advantage of surprise over the Union troops, the Confederates were soon pushed back after the initial clash due to a tactical flanking maneuver by Nelson . Due to a mixture of poor weather conditions and efforts by the Confederate troops to slow them down (such as chopping down trees and laying them over the road), the Union troops under Nelson eventually gave up the chase and returned to camp.
While the battle was not the most decisive in the Civil War, it is generally considered a Union victory, as the Confederates were forced to retreat after their failed ambush. This early Union victory helped solidify the Union's hold on Eastern Kentucky.
- Angus Maske
Sources:
https://worldhistoryproject.org/1861/11/9/battle-of-ivy-mountain
http://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/475