A Civil War Base

In September 1861, Union forces occupied strategic Smithland. At the junction of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers, it became a rendezvous and staging area for troops and supplies in support of Gen. Grant's campaign against Fort Donelson. Two forts on hills to the south commanded the two rivers. Smithland continued through the war as a supply base for USA river transports and gunboats.

Smithland, Kentucky · United States