Ulysses S. Grant's bloodless capture of Paducah
- When
- 1861
- Where
- Paducah
- Episodes
- 1
Ulysses S. Grant advanced on Paducah, Kentucky, taking the city without a fight on September 6, 1861. This action occurred after Confederates moved into western Kentucky, threatening southern Illinois. Grant acted without waiting for Frémont's reply, securing a strategic position at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Paducah is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers. In 1861, Confederate forces moved into western Kentucky, taking Columbus with designs on southern Illinois. Grant notified Frémont but advanced on Paducah without waiting for a reply, leading to the city's occupation.
Occupation. Grant took Paducah without a fight on September 6, 1861. The town subsequently served as a massive supply depot for Federal forces along the Ohio, Mississippi, and Tennessee river systems, highlighting its strategic importance in the region.
People involved
- Ulysses S. Grant · Union General
Sources
- Ulysses S. Grant Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-06
- Paducah, Kentucky Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-05
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.