Confederate Occupation of Columbus, Kentucky

Confederate Major General Leonidas Polk violated Kentucky's neutrality by ordering the occupation of Columbus, a strategically important point on the Mississippi River and terminus of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad.

People involved

• Leonidas Polk
• Gideon Johnson Pillow

When this happened

Confederate Occupation of Columbus, Kentucky occurred in September 4, 1861, during the civil_war period of American history.

Where this happened

Confederate Occupation of Columbus, Kentucky took place in Kentucky. Explore the full history of Kentucky and primary source records from this era.

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.

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia: Neutrality violated.