Pound Gap
N 37° 09.286 W 082° 37.846
17S E 355190 N 4113286
A Virginia Department of Historic Resources roadside marker along Highway US 23 near the Virginia and Kentucky borders in Pound Gap.
Waymark Code: WMJ1EZ
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 09/09/2013
Views: 6
Pound Gap probably was named for a nearby grain-pounding mill. Christopher Gist, returning from the Ohio River where he surveyed land for the Ohio Company, crossed the gap in 1751. During the Civil War, Pound Gap gained strategic importance as a gateway between Virginia and Kentucky. Union Col. James A. Garfield (later president) and his brigade forced the gap from the Kentucky side on 16 March 1862 after a skirmish with Confederate forces under Brig. Gen. Humphrey Marshall. On 1 June 1864, Confederate Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan forced it from the Virginia side, capturing and destroying property in Kentucky.
Marker Number: XB 7
Marker Title: Pound Gap
Marker Location: Pound Gap, Virginia side.
County or Independent City: Wise County
Marker Program Sponsor: Virginia Department of Historic Resources
Web Site: Not listed
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