Kimbrough's Crossroads-Confederate Surprise - Talbot TN - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

Kimbrough's Crossroads-Confederate Surprise-- (preface)
In November 1863, Confederate Gen. James Longstreet led a force from Chattanooga to attack Union Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside’ s army at Knoxville. The campaign failed, and in December Longstreet’s men marched east along the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad to winter quarters at Russellville, where they remained until March 1864. Numerous small engagements between Longstreet’s and Burnside’s armies occurred during the winter.

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Two days after Union Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis’s cavalry divisions occupied Dandridge on January 14, 1864, he ordered his division commanders to reconnoiter and secure the countryside at Long Creek on Chucky Road and here at Kimbrough’s Crossroads. Meanwhile, Confederate Gen. James Longstreet likewise had ordered cavalry and infantry divisions to reconnoiter toward the Federals. As Col. Israel Garrard, 7th Ohio Cavalry, led his division down the road in front of you past this point at Ebenezer Church, he suddenly encountered Confederate Gen. Micah Jenkins’s infantry division on the Morristown Road at Kimbrough’s Crossroads. After several minutes of intense fighting, the Federals counter attacked, but Confederate artillery halted the advance. When additional Confederate infantry reinforced Jenkins, Sturgis ordered Garrard to fall back to Dandridge. The next day, January 17, the same units fought another action there at the town.

Confederate Pvt. Francis M. Kelley, 59th Alabama Infantry, was shot early in the fight and died a short time later. His brother-in-law Lieutenant William McGrady wrote home to Kelley’s wife and told her of his death: “Caroline I can’t describe my feeling when I found Marion lying cold. Weep not after him for I trust he is a bit better off than we are. He is done with this troublesome world.” Kelley is buried in the Ebenezer Church Cemetery.

“I received a dispatch from Colonel Garrard stating that he had come in contact with a large force of the enemy, and was being driven back. I immediately commenced forming my command in order to receive the enemy and cover the retreat of Colonel Garrard.” — Col. Archibald P. Campbell

(captions)
Gen. Micah Jenkins Courtesy Library of Congress
Ebenezer Church - Courtesy Ben Carmichael

Type of site: Battlefield Address: 1122 Ebenezer Church Road located in the Ebenezer Methodist Church Cemetery Talbott, TN USA 37877 Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Phone Number: Not listed Driving Directions: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/05/2021 Don.Morfe visited it