Battle of Paducah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Paducah |
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| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States of America (Union) |
 CSA (Confederacy) |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Stephen G. Hicks James Shirk |
Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
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Forrest's Cavalry Department | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 650 men 2 gunboats |
3,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 90 | 50 | ||||||
The Battle of Paducah happened on March 25, 1864. It was part of the American Civil War. A group of Confederate cavalry soldiers, led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest, rode into Tennessee and Kentucky. Their goal was to grab supplies from the Union side. Union troops had been in charge of Tennessee since 1862. General Forrest successfully attacked Paducah, Kentucky, a town right on the Ohio River.
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What Happened at Paducah?
In March 1864, General Forrest left Columbus, Mississippi. He took almost 3,000 men with him. They were heading to West Tennessee and Kentucky for a raid. His main goals were to find new soldiers and get more supplies for his men. He also wanted to stop the Union from doing their work.
Forrest's troops reached Paducah on March 25. They quickly took over the town. The Union soldiers there, about 650 men, were led by Colonel Stephen G. Hicks. They quickly moved back to Fort Anderson. This fort was on the west side of town. Two Union gunboats on the Ohio River helped protect the fort. Colonel Hicks started firing his cannons from the fort.
A Risky Bluff
General Forrest tried to trick Colonel Hicks into giving up. He sent a message warning him. Forrest said if he had to attack the fort, the Union soldiers might not be treated fairly. But Colonel Hicks knew the fort was strong. He also knew it would be hard for Forrest to capture it. So, Hicks refused to surrender.
Since the Union soldiers stayed safe inside their fort, Forrest's men began to work. They loaded any useful Union Army supplies onto wagons. They destroyed everything else they couldn't take. They also gathered all the army horses and mules they could find.
The Attack on Fort Anderson
Some of Forrest's men from Kentucky decided to attack Fort Anderson on their own. This made General Forrest quite annoyed. This unplanned attack became the Battle of Paducah. The Union soldiers fought back hard. The Confederates were forced to retreat. This attack caused many needless injuries for the Confederates.
After the raid, many newspapers reported something interesting. They said Forrest had missed over a hundred good horses hidden by the Union soldiers. Because of this, Forrest sent Colonel Abraham Buford back to Paducah in mid-April. Colonel Buford found and captured these horses.
Who Won and What It Meant
The Battle of Paducah caused about 90 injuries for the Union side. The Confederates had about 50 injuries. Most of these happened during the attack on the fort. The Confederates saw this raid as a victory. They had fewer injuries and gained some supplies. But they didn't take the fort. They also didn't change who controlled the area.
The raid did show the Union Army something important. It proved that Forrest and other Confederate raiders could still strike deep into Union-held lands.
