Skirmish at Florence

Historical Marker #550 in Florence commemorates The Skirmish at Florence.

On September 17, 1862, a clash occurred between Union and Confederate forces on the streets of Florence. The Confederate forces under the command of General Henry Heth had moved north out of Lexington, threatening Cincinnati. Union troops prepared for an attack by building forts around Covington and also patrolling the Lexington Pike area for Confederates. When a detachment of 101 Confederates, who had been camping at nearby Snow’s Pond, was spotted by a scouting party of 53 Union soldiers at the main intersection in town, a skirmish occurred. The attack resulted in one Union and five Confederate soldiers being killed. One civilian, Larkin Vaughn, was also killed by a stray bullet. The Confederates eventually withdrew to Lexington and then left the state after the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862.