As part of the Confederate effort to gain control of Central Kentucky, General Heth and his troops reached the outskirts of Covington on September 6, 1862 as a threat to the North. Their object was to hold U.S.A. troops there and prevent them from moving to resist Bragg's forces nearing Louisville. Large Union forces crossed the river for defense. Heth withdrew on September 12, obtaining recruits, food, and supplies.