The Confederate Gateway: Controlling the Rivers and Fighting for Justice in Civil War Paducah

By Ed Ford

he residents of Paducah, Kentucky, were sympathetic to the Confederacy and wanted no part of the Union and its army. But Union Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant wasn't about to let that happen. Taking advantage of Kentucky's Civil War stand of neutrality, Grant leads an armed force into the McCracken County community in the spring of 1861 and takes control of Paducah without firing a shot. Suddenly, Paducah is in total control of the Yankees and has lost it advantages of river travel and commerce. Wade Cooper, a leader of the regional militia, isn't about to let a cruel and dominating Federal leadership run roughshod over the civilian population. He organizes and leads the militia in opposition to a Union command rife with self-serving and corrupt officials. Along the way, Cooper meets Lindsay Hill, a nurse forced to become the medical director of a civilian hospital. They fall in love as they work together to thwart the efforts of a Union commander committed to devastating the lives of local residents.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1965370349
• ISBN13: 9781965370346
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Acclaim Press, Inc.
• Length: 188 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"