With Admirable Precision

In 1861, Confederates built this smaller of two river batteries to protect the Cumberland River, a strategic transportation and supply route to Clarksville and Nashville. Semicircular in design and set some 30 feet above the river, it mounted one 6.5-inch rifled cannon and two 32-pounder ship carronades, all protected by sandbags and a strong parapet. The battery was manned by the Maury Light Artillery Battery under Capt. Reuben R. Ross, and portions of his command also served the 10-inch Columbiad in the nearby Lower River Battery. Though inexperienced in handling heavy artillery, Ross's gunners were praised for exhibiting admirable precision against Union ironclads on February 14, 1862. The 6.5-inch rifled cannon, though out of action part of the time, helped repel the Union gunboats, while the short-range 32-pounder ship carronades caused little or no damage and were considered by Confederate officers entirely useless in this location. The collapsed remains of the powder magazine used to store ammunition during the battle can be seen in the hillside behind the battery.

Dover, Tennessee · United States