Sept. 19, 1861

Sept. 19, 1861: The Confederates in the Western Theatre (Kentucky-Tennessee) have established a line from Columbus, Kentucky (a now-heavily fortified bend on the Mississippi River) to Forts Henry and Donelson on the Tennessee, and from these forts to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and on to the Cumberland Gap. Near this all-crucial pass, Gen. Zollicoffer's Rebel troops drive away a small force of pro-Union Kentucky regiments, thus preserving Confederate control of Cumberland Gap.