Battle of Blountville

Battle of Blountville Part of the American Civil War Date September 22, 1863 Location Blountville, Sullivan County, Tennessee Coordinates: 36°32′00″N 82°19′35″W / 36.533333°N 82.326389°W 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.

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.

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]

External Links

• Battle of Blountville Reenactment and Military Park

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
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.

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the National Park Service document "Battle Summary: Blountsville" by Civil War Sites Advisory Commission.
• CWSAC Report Update