Battery Rock
National Register of Historic Places

Battery Rock

Cave-in-Rock, Hardin County, Illinois
Listed
November 5, 1998
Type
Site
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
98001257

About this property

Battery Rock is a limestone bluff located at Mile 860 of the Ohio River in Hardin County, Illinois, across from Caseyville, Kentucky. The bluff is a prominent navigational landmark along the river. The site played a role in several conflicts during the Civil War. In 1862, the Union Army based its troops at Battery Rock during a standoff with Confederate troops at Caseyville; the standoff ended when the Union troops moved to Caseyville, found that the Confederates had left the town, and punished the rebellious residents. The bluff also played a role in Confederate general Stovepipe Johnson's attack on riverboats in 1864. During the attack, boats used the landing at Battery Rock as a safe harbor and a place to monitor the situation. In addition, two Union recruiters from Kentucky used the bluff as a recruiting station in 1864, and either a Union garrison or a local defense force placed two cannons at the site; graffiti left by an Indiana regiment has also been found at the site. The bluff was used as a filming location for the film How the West Was Won in the 1960s. Battery Rock was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 5, 1998.

Location

Cave-in-Rock, Hardin County, Illinois
37.53019, -88.08179

Categories

MILITARY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

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

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Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
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
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

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Nearby Battles

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Questions about this property

When was Battery Rock listed on the National Register?

Battery Rock was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 5, 1998.

What type of historic resource is Battery Rock?

Battery Rock is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Battery Rock?

The period of significance for Battery Rock is recorded as the civil_war era, specifically around 1862.

Can I research the history near Battery Rock?

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