Cavalry Actions in Western Kentucky

Join the WTCW crew as we follow Derrick Lindow on two tours covering two cavalry actions in Sacramento and Owensboro, Kentucky. Beginning at 9:00 AM, we will discuss and visit the sites associated with the first battle fought by Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Battle of Sacramento, Kentucky. Learn how Forrest won his first fight against the 18 year old Major Eli Murray and a detachment of the 3rd Kentucky Cavalry on December 28, 1861. This is a driving tour with several stops along the way, as the Confederate and Union soldiers battled for several miles with frequent saber clashes. To learn more about this battle, check out this post from our blog: "Unrivaled Since the Days of Bull Run: The Battle of Sacramento."

After lunch, the group will meet at English Park in Owensboro, Kentucky to discuss the actions in Owensboro on September 19, 1862 as the Confederates occupied the town and surrounded the Union camp in that general location. Following this portion of the tour, the caravan will move 10 miles south of Owensboro to the Battle of Sutherland's Hill site to discuss the attack of the Indiana Legion against the 10th Kentucky Partisan Rangers who occupied Owensboro the day before. This battle would be the largest fought in Daviess County with nearly 100 casualties. These events are told in detail in Lindow's forthcoming book: We Shall Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky.

It is estimated that this tour will last into the late afternoon.

We will meet in downtown Greenville, Kentucky, in front of the Muhlenburg County Courthouse (HERE), which happens to be Stop 1 on the Battle of Sacramento Driving Tour. There we will set the scene and then carpool to various location along the tour route (some of the stops do not have ample parking so we will bypass those).