Battery Billingsley

Battery Billingsley (1863-1865) - A Union U.S. Civil War battery established in 1863 in present day Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee. Named Battery Billingsley in G.O. 37, 11 Dec 1863 (Army of the Ohio), after Lieutenant Josiah Billingsley, 17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, who fell in action in front of Fort Sanders 20 Nov 1863. Battery abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. History of Battery Billingsley Battery Billingsley was one of 20 named Union fortifications surrounding Knoxville, Tennessee (8 Forts and 12 Batteries) during the U.S. Civil War. This ring of defenses was established late in 1863 to counter a Confederate threat to the city. Confederate forces attempted to capture the city in November-December 1863 and laid siege to the city. Large losses were sustained by Confederate forces attempting to take Fort Sanders and the Confederates withdrew, lifting the siege. The Battery was hastily established in 1863 to counter the Confederate threat to the city. Located between Gay Street and First Creek. Battery Billingsley was abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. Current Status Unknown status. USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1680405 Location: Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee. Maps & Images Lat: 35.96722 Long: -83.91889 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 928' See Also: Knoxville Defense System - U.S. Civil War Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 738. Links: North American Forts - Battery Billingsley Tennessee Sourcebook - 1865 Inspection Report Visited: No