The Homeplace 1850s Farm in Land Between the Lakes is commemorating the 155th anniversary of a Civil War battle in far western Kentucky and northwest Tennessee this weekend.
The Battle of Fort Henry took place along the Tennessee River in early February 1862. The surrender of the Confederate fort was considered a victory for the Union and Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant. Homeplace Interpreter and Domestic Coordinator Charlotte Huggins said Fort Henry was a crude structure situated on what is now part of Kentucky Lake.
“It was a fortification to keep the union from coming up the river and invading Tennessee and the first southern states. It would have been a wooden structure and it was a lot of earthwork that is just built up ground,” Huggins said.
The event includes an educational program about the fort and the battle’s legacy and a guided walk along Confederate fortifications and trails. Activities begin at the Homeplace at 1, the walk begins at 3 at the Fort Henry Trailhead and is weather dependent.
