Skirmish at Snow's Pond

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Historical Marker #2023 just north of Walton marks one of only two incidents in which Confederate and Union troops engaged in Boone County during the Civil War.

This skirmish took place on September 25, 1862 when the Confederate forces, led by General Kirby-Smith and Colonel Basil Duke, were ordered to slow the Federal forces while moving south. The Confederate forces used the Second Kentucky Calvary for support, also known as Morgan’s Men.

The Confederate soldiers first camped at Snow’s Pond on September 9, 1862. Under the command of General Heth and Colonel Hutchinson, the men were advancing towards Covington to seize Cincinnati from the North and used Snow’s Pond as a base to retreat. The men returned to Snow’s Pond on September 12, 1862 and stayed until the 16th. The men had moved down into Crittenden and Falmouth in order to sustain their troops from the North advancement.

The Federal forces, led by General Judah, advanced down into Kentucky and made Florence their headquarters. The Union soldiers occupied land between Florence and Falmouth where they had been camping at and around Snow’s Pond. But because of their stagnant activity there, less than 600 Confederates were able to invade the troops camped near the pond and the Union posts. On September 25, 1862, Colonel Duke’s men began the skirmish by raided the camps in Walton and a little North. The Confederates captured about 65 Union prisoners and left with only two Union soldiers wounded.