Kentucky Unionists considered Pound Gap second in importance only to Cumberland Gap as a strategic gateway to southwestern Virginia and eastern Tennessee. On the frigid morning of March 16, 1862, Union Gen. James A. Garfield, the future president, arrived there with 700 Ohio and Kentucky infantry and cavalry to drive out Confederate forces gathering at Pound Gap and Cumberland Gap. About 500 Confederates occupied Pound Gap and the surrounding area, with Confederate Maj. John P. Thompson holding the forward position with 175 men while the rest were scattered on detached duty or guarding cabins at the foot of the mountain. In swirling snow, 100 Union cavalrymen under Maj. William McLaughlin approached the gap along the road from Kentucky, while Col. Jonathan Cranor of the 40th Ohio Infantry advanced on one flank and Garfield personally led another force along the other flank to envelop the defenders and cut off their retreat. After a sharp, brief firefight, the Confederates withdrew south toward Gladeville (Wise). The Confederates lost one man killed and several wounded, while the Federals reported no casualties. That evening Garfield's men destroyed 60 log huts, two large buildings used for quartermaster and commissary stores, and a half dozen army wagons before abandoning the gap and returning to Kentucky. Although the engagement had little effect beyond the region, it proved the difficulty of defending Pound Gap.