US ResearchConflictsCivil WarTennesseeBattle of Kingston
Civil War

Battle of Kingston

1863
Tennessee
Era
Civil War
Year
1863
Location
Tennessee
Status
Verified engagement
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Kingston (November 24, 1863) saw Major General Joseph Wheeler with two divisions of Confederate cavalry attempt to overcome the Union garrison of Kingston, Tennessee, led by Colonel Robert K. Byrd. The Confederates mistakenly believed that the Kingston garrison was weak, but in fact, it comprised a brigade of infantry and a regiment of mounted infantry. When Wheeler's cavalrymen began probing the Union position, they discovered that its defenders were too numerous, and the position was too strong. The Confederate cavalry withdrew to rejoin Lieutenant General James Longstreet's forces in the Siege of Knoxville, but Wheeler himself returned to the Army of Tennessee near Chattanooga.

Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Vol. 3. Secaucus, N.J.: Castle. 1987 . ISBN 0-89009-571-X.

Boatner, Mark M. III (1988). The Civil War Dictionary (Revised ed.). New York: David McKay. ISBN 978-0-8129-1726-0.

Cox, Jacob D. (1882). "Atlanta". New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons. Retrieved January 9, 2022.

Hess, Earl J. (2013). The Knoxville Campaign: Burnside and Longstreet in East Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 978-1-57233-995-8.

Official Records (1890). "A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies: Volume XXXI, Part I". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved February 14, 2022.

Duration
Single day engagement (November 24, 1863)
Historical context

The American Civil War (1861–1865) was the deadliest conflict in American history, killing an estimated 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. The Confederate States of America, formed by eleven seceding Southern states, faced the Union in four years of warfare across 23 states and territories. Major engagements included First and Second Bull Run, Antietam (the bloodiest single day in American history, September 17, 1862), Chancellorsville, Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), Vicksburg (surrendered July 4, 1863), and Sherman's March through Georgia and the Carolinas (1864–1865). President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, transforming the war's stated purpose to include the abolition of slavery and enabling the enlistment of approximately 180,000 Black men in the United States Colored Troops. Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The war resolved the question of secession and ended American slavery, though Reconstruction would face sustained resistance in its attempt to secure civil rights for formerly enslaved people.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Battle of Kingston take place?
Battle of Kingston took place in 1863. Single day engagement (November 24, 1863).
Where was Battle of Kingston fought?
Battle of Kingston was fought in Tennessee, United States.
What was the significance of Battle of Kingston?
The Battle of Kingston (November 24, 1863) saw Major General Joseph Wheeler with two divisions of Confederate cavalry attempt to overcome the Union garrison of Kingston, Tennessee, led by Colonel Robert K. Byrd. The Confederates mistakenly believed that the Kingston garrison was weak, but in fact, i
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Protected heritage nearby

Historic Sites near Battle of Kingston

Roane County Courthouse (Additional Documentation)
Early Republic · 0.6 mi
Southwest Point
Early Republic · 1.5 mi
Cornstalk Heights Historic District
Listed · 4.3 mi
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Source

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Wikipedia source.

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