Col. Albert P. Thompson & the Battle of Paducah
Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
A Paducah CSA Hero. Col. Albert P. Thompson fell here in Battle of Paducah, March 25, 1864, victim of Union cannonball. He commanded the 3rd Ky. Inf. CSA. The battle climaxed Gen. Nathan B. Forrest's memorable raid seeking medical supplies and munitions. Thompson, a respected lawyer here, joined Confederate cause in 1861. After war reinterred at Murray. Sponsored by Paducah Lions Club.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
On March 25, 1864, Confederate cavalry under Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest swept into the Ohio River town of Paducah, seeking the medical supplies and munitions his raiders badly needed. In the fighting, Col. Albert P. Thompson — a respected local lawyer who had left his practice to command the 3rd Kentucky Infantry — was killed on this ground by a Union cannonball, dying near the town where he had made his home. After the war his remains were reinterred at Murray, Kentucky.
Why it matters
The raid and Thompson's death capture the divided loyalties of Civil War Kentucky, a border state where neighbors took up arms on opposing sides and cavalry raids scarred the river towns.
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Related people
- · Albert P. Thompson
- · Nathan Bedford Forrest
Related events
- · Battle of Paducah
- · Forrest's Raid
Themes & tags
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