Fort Robert L. McCook - Middlesboro, KY
N 36° 36.521 W 083° 40.471
17S E 260792 N 4054794
Fort Robert L. McCook, called Fort Rains by the Confederates, was a Civil War fort built to defend Cumberland Gap. It exchanged hands four times during the war. It is located in the Cumberland Gap National Park.
Waymark Code: WM4DNF
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 08/09/2008
Views: 26
From the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form:
"4. Fort Robert L. McCook (G-54)
Called Fort Rains by the Confederates, this structure is a Civil War cannon position built by the Confederates in 1861 and used alternately by both armies until the end of the War. It is located on the west slope of the Pinnacle at an elevation of 1860 feet. Originally the Fort was a semicircular platform measuring 49' x 45' with four 5' walls of earth, reinforced with gabions and a log retaining wall. Presently the site consists of the platform with portions of the berms existant but partially overgrown. This is a developed interpretive site with a cannon displayed and two wooden signs. Adjacent to the site are a paved patha nd a parking lot."
The interpretive sign titled, "Invasion through the Gap" reads:
"For the North, Cumberland Gap was a natural invasion route into the South - providing access to vulnerable railroads and valuable minerals and salt works in East Tennessee and southwest Virginia.
For the South, the Gap was a gateway for an invasion of Kentucky to drive out the Federal foe.
Cumberland Gap exchanged hands four times during the Civil War.
| August 1861 | | Confederates fortify Cumberland Gap. |
| June 18, 1862 | | Union forces under General Morgan occupy the Gap. |
| September 17, 1862 | | Confederate General Stevenson forces evacuation of Union troops from the Gap as the Confederates push into northern Kentucky's Bluegrass region begins |
| September 9, 1863 | | Union forces under General Burnside accept surrender of General Frazer's 2,300-man Confederate garrison at the Gap. |
| | | Cumberland Gap remains in Northern hands for the duration of the war." |
The interpretive sign titled, "Defense of the Gap" reads:
"During the Civil War this earthwork - called Fort Rains by the Confederates and Fort McCook by the Federals - was one of many fortifications ringing Cumberland Gap.
These defenses were considered too formidable to be taken by direct assault, which accounts for the small number of soldiers killed here. The poor roads and rough country of the Gap made it difficult to resupply the outposts. An attacker could simply cut off supply lines, leaving the forts with little tactical value.
Later in the war, General Ulysses S. Grant visited this area and declared the Gap unusable as an invasion route because of the roads. Defense of the Gap was no longer strategically important."