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Hoover’s Gap lies about 26 miles southeast of Murfreesboro along the route of today’s Interstate 24, near Beechgrove, Tennessee. In 1863, this narrow pass followed the Manchester Pike as it wound through a rugged corridor of wooded ridges rising more than 1,000 feet on either side. The gap itself stretched several miles, but in its tightest sections was so constricted that wagons could barely pass side by side. Thick underbrush, steep slopes and limited avenues of approach made maneuver difficult and elevated ground on either side commanded the roadway below.

On the morning of June 24, 1863, the Army of the Cumberland advanced from Murfreesboro toward Confederate positions near Tullahoma, aiming to force Hoover’s Gap, one of the key passes through the Highland Rim. Gen. William S. Rosecrans used a feint toward Shelbyville while his main force moved east to seize the gap. Col. John T. Wilder’s mounted infantry struck first, scattering a small Confederate force with rapid Spencer rifle fire. Though ordered to hold, Wilder pushed through the entire gap and secured a strong position.

Confederate counterattacks under Brig. Gen. William Bate failed against heavy Union fire and artillery. By afternoon, Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas’s corps had secured the gap, turning the Confederate flank and forcing a retreat. Wilder’s bold move earned his men the name “Lightning Brigade.”