American Civil War Battlefields 

Battle of Wildcat Mountain 

Camp Wildcat 

Laurel County, KY

Photos and Text courtesy of  LCWRT Member Holly Jenkins-Evans

The Battle of Wildcat Mountain, also known as Camp Wildcat, was located outside London, Ky. The Laurel Home Guard Reservation was the site of CSA Gen. Felix Zollicoffer's camp.

Fought on October 21, 1861, this small battle was the first Union victory in Ky, effectively ending the Confederate incursion under Brig Gen. Felix Zollicoffer. Zollicoffer and his force of approximately 5400 men had entered the state and occupied the Cumberland Gap. The camp at Wildcat Mountain was established by Col. Theophilus T. Garrard and his small force of 975 men under orders by USA Brig. Gen. George H. Thomas in order to block the Wilderness Road and secure the river ford on the Rockcastle. After Garrard's request for reinforcements, Thomas ordered Brig. Gen. Albin Schoepf to reinforce the heavily outnumbered Garrard, the Union forces numbered approx. 7000. Schoepf and his troops arrived at Camp Wildcat on Oct 20. The nest day, the Union troops were able to repel the Confederate attacks. Zollicoffer and his troops retreated to Cumberland Ford by the 26th. 

If  Zollicoffer had been successful, the Confederates would have been able to occupy the important central area of Kentucky, along with its forage, horses and potential troops with a force of 5400 and few losses. With the loss at Wildcat Mountain, they would have to make a much costlier and ultimately unsuccessful attempt a year later in October of 1862.