Scott's Raid
Williamsburg, Whitley County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Scott's Raid. Col. John S. Scott with 1,600 of 2nd Cav. Brig. CSA came up from Eastern Tenn. on raid to destroy USA communications and obtain cattle, horses, mules and arms. At Williamsburg on July 25, 1863 he was met by 100 pickets of 44th Ohio Inf. After a skirmish, he drove then toward London. Scott went on to Winchester, retreating then to Tenn. with heavy losses. Dedicated October 9, 1962. For more information, see ExploreKYHistory: Scott's Raid
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
In July 1863, Confederate Colonel John S. Scott led some 1,600 cavalry up from East Tennessee on a raid to wreck Union communications and seize livestock and arms. At Williamsburg on July 25, a hundred pickets of the 44th Ohio Infantry met his advance; after a sharp skirmish Scott drove them toward London before pressing on to Winchester and retreating into Tennessee with heavy losses. The raid was one of many mounted thrusts that made the Kentucky mountains a war of movement.
Why it matters
Scott's Raid illustrates the cavalry raiding that defined the Civil War in Appalachian Kentucky, where small forces fought to control the roads, supplies, and passes of a divided borderland.
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Related people
- · John S. Scott
Related events
- · Scott's Raid
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
"Aunt Julia" Marcum
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McCreary County
McCreary County, KY · est. 1969
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Bragg's Retreat to Tennessee
Laurel County, KY
After the bloody Battle of Perryville in October 1862, Confederate General Braxton Bragg gathered his forces and began withdrawing southward, ending the Confederacy's bid to hold Kentucky. Union General Don Carlos Buell pursued as far as this point in Laurel County before deciding further pursuit was not worthwhile. Bragg's army continued on, passing through the Cumberland Gap in late October.
Battle of London
London, KY
On August 17, 1862, Confederate Colonel John S. Scott led 500 cavalry against roughly 200 Union soldiers and 98 convalescents under Colonel L. C. Houk at London. The lopsided fight cost the Union thirteen killed, seventeen wounded, and over a hundred captured along with forty wagons, while Scott lost only a handful of men. Driven back to George W. Morgan's main force at Cumberland Gap, Houk's defeat helped sever Union supply lines and set the stage for Morgan's long retreat to Ohio.