A house built here by James Rudd, a pioneer ferry operator, was replaced by a house built by David Robinson, whose son-in-law William H. Cherry improved and enlarged it. Major General C.F. Smith, a Federal army commander, had headquarters here, where he died and was succeeded by Major General U.S. Grant. Major General Don Carlos Buell, commanding the Federal Army of the Ohio, also used it for a short while. Major General W.H.L. Wallace, mortally wounded at Shiloh, died here.