Civil War Actions

On Sept. 19, 1861, in the first skirmish in eastern Kentucky, Zollicoffer's Confederate troops approached Barbourville. A home guard obstructed the bridge, and the Confederates took another route but were repulsed twice before the guards retreated. Considerable property was destroyed in town. Confederate Gen. Kirby Smith's headquarters were here from Aug. 18 to 25, 1862, while he prepared the invasion of central Kentucky.

Barbourville, Kentucky · United States