The battle of Somerset (or Dutton's Hill) was fought on March 31, 1863, during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. General
John Pegram led a Confederate cavalry raid into central Kentucky which was defeated by Union forces under General
Quincy A. Gillmore.
Background
In early 1863 Brigadier General John Pegram led a cavalry raid into Kentucky in the vicinity of
Lexington. Brigadier General Quincy A. Gillmore sought permission from
Department of the Ohio
The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River.
1st Department 1861–1862
Gene ...
commander, Major General
Ambrose E. Burnside, to move against Pegram. Although Gillmore had gained a reputation in artillery and engineering service, Burnside nevertheless authorized Gillmore to lead a mixed force of cavalry and mounted infantry.
Battle
By the time the Union forces responded, Pegram's cavalry had rounded up several hundred head of cattle. Gillmore's force caught up with Pegram outside Somerset on March 31. Gillmore drove Pegram's skirmishers up Dutton's Hill where the Confederates made a stand. Making no headway at first, Union artillery was brought forward. The
45th Ohio Infantry made a successful charge against the hill forcing the Confederates to retreat.
Results
Pegram retreated south of the Cumberland River leaving behind horses and much of his confiscated cattle. The defeat brought a significant amount of tension between Pegram and his subordinates.
Gillmore's first independent field command was a success, though he continued to express interest in artillery and coastal service. General-in-Chief
Henry W. Halleck
Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 – January 9, 1872) was a senior United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory: "Old Brains". He was an important part ...
transferred Gillmore to South Carolina for a
proposed campaign against Charleston, South Carolina.
[Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military Histor]
page 840
/ref>
See also
* Battle of Dutton's Hill Monument
References
External links
Historical Marker
{{authority control
Somerset, Battle of
Somerset, Battle of
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
Somerset, Kentucky
1863 in Kentucky
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
March 1863