Retreat of the Union Troops

Retreat of the Union Troops    1863

 

During the Civil War, in 1863, Union troops occupied

Knoxville.  They held a series of earthen forts, some

of which were on a hill to the south.  A pontoon

bridge at the mouth of First Creek connected these

forts to the town.  An attack by Confederate cavalry

from the south forced Union troops back into the city

by the bridge.  Their panicked retreat prompted many

city residents to flee, but the expected large scale assault

from the south never came.

• knoxville
• civil war
• 1863
• union
• confederate
• pontoon bridge