On and near this spot on July 19, 1863, the Battle of Buffington Island was fought between Confederate forces under Gen. John H. Morgan, who was attempting to cross the river near the middle of the island, and pursuing Union forces under Brig. Gens. Henry M. Judah and Edward H. Hobson, who intercepted the Confederates and prevented the main force from crossing at the ford, with Union gunboats materially assisting in the encounter. The engagement was brief but spirited and extended up and down the valley for a considerable distance. A small group of Confederates reached the southern bank of the river and escaped, but about seven hundred, including a number of officers, were captured, and General Morgan and the remainder of his men were forced to flee up the Ohio side of the river until they were finally captured near New Lisbon, Ohio, on July 26, 1863. Major Daniel McCook, paymaster in the United States Army and eldest of the Fighting McCooks, lost his life in the battle at age 65 after being mortally wounded about one mile south and dying the next day on a gunboat bound for Cincinnati, where he was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery. The region is also associated with the Moundbuilders of the Ohio Valley, whose presence is attested by nearby burial mounds.