Battery Rock is a limestone bluff located at Mile 860 of the Ohio River in Hardin County, Illinois, across from Caseyville, Kentucky. The bluff is a prominent navigational landmark along the river.[2]
Battery Rock | |
 Battery Rock from its base | |
   | |
| Location | West Bank, River Mile 860, Ohio River |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Cave-in-Rock, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 37°31′48″N 88°4′49″W / 37.53000°N 88.08028°W |
| Area | 33.5 acres (13.6 ha) |
| MPS | Caught in the Middle: The Civil War on the Lower Ohio River MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 98001257[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 5, 1998 |
The site played a role in several conflicts during the Civil War. In 1862, the Union Army based its troops at Battery Rock during a standoff with Confederate troops at Caseyville; the standoff ended when the Union troops moved to Caseyville, found that the Confederates had left the town, and punished the rebellious residents. The bluff also played a role in Confederate general Stovepipe Johnson's attack on riverboats in 1864. During the attack, boats used the landing at Battery Rock as a safe harbor and a place to monitor the situation. In addition, two Union recruiters from Kentucky used the bluff as a recruiting station in 1864, and either a Union garrison or a local defense force placed two cannons at the site; graffiti left by an Indiana regiment has also been found at the site.[2]
The bluff was used as a filming location for the film How the West Was Won in the 1960s.[2]
Battery Rock was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 5, 1998.[1]
See also
edit- Thompson Brothers Rock Art, a Civil War site in Union County
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c Jacobsen, James E. (June 14, 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Battery Rock" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
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