Battle of Blountville

The Battle of Blountville, sometimes called Battle of Blountsville, was a battle of the American Civil War, occurring on September 22, 1863, in Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Battle of Blountville
Part of the American Civil War
DateSeptember 22, 1863
Location
Blountville, Sullivan County, Tennessee
36.533333°N 82.326389°W / 36.533333; -82.326389
Result Union victory
Belligerents
 United States (Union)  CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
John W. Foster James E. Carter
Units involved
1 brigade 1,200 [1]
Casualties and losses
27 [1] 165 [1]
Map of Blountsville Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.

Battle

The battle occurred during a Union expedition into East Tennessee led by Major General Ambrose Burnside, commander of the Department of the Ohio, with the objective of clearing the roads and gaps to Virginia and securing the saltworks in southwestern Virginia. On September 22, Union Col. John W. Foster, with his cavalry and artillery, engaged Col. James E. Carter and his troops at Blountville. Foster attacked at noon and in the four-hour battle shelled the town and initiated a flanking movement, compelling the Confederates to withdraw. Blountsville was the initial step in the Union’s attempt to force Confederate Maj. Gen. Sam Jones and his command to retire from East Tennessee.[2][3]

The Sullivan County courthouse in Blountville was gutted by a fire that broke out during the shelling. It was rebuilt in 1866.[4][5]

References
  1. National Park Service battle summary Archived February 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  2. CWSAC Battle Summary: Blountsville Archived April 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, National Park Service website
  3. "Sullivan County Civil War Days". Archived from the original on 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  4. J.H. Osborne, Markers show major sites of Battle of Blountville, Kingsport Times News, September 18, 2008
  5. History of Sullivan County, Department of Archives and Tourism, Sullivan County, Tennessee. Website accessed September 22, 2010.
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