Sir: I have this moment received yours of this instant, in which you demand the unconditional surrender of the forces under my command. I can answer that I have been placed here by the Government to defend this post, and in this, as well as all other orders from my superiors, I feel it to be my duty as an honorable officer to obey. I must, therefore, respectfully decline surrendering as you may require. S.G. Hicks Colonel, Commanding Post As a result, on March 25, 1864, at 4:30, the order to charge came from Forrest. Led by Colonel Albert P. Thompson, of Paducah, the Confederate cavalrymen swooped down on the fort. They were met with a barrage of grapeshot and canister from newly converted gunboats. They fell back, and then charged once more, only to meet with the same fierce barrage. The Confederates entered homes near the fort and began firing under cover of the houses. General Forrest gave the order to cease firing. Although this is considered to be a Confederate victory, it was not a conflict that made any lasting changes. Later history In 1905, Riverside Hospital opened on the site. Initially operated by the city, it was sold to the Catholic Diocese of Owensboro in 1959 and renamed Lourdes hospital. The hospital was sold in 1973 and became a nursing home. The site is now occupied by the Paducah–McCracken County Convention & Expo Center. References Buildings and structures in Paducah, Kentucky Kentucky in the American Civil War Anderson 1864 in Kentucky United States Marine Hospitals 1852 establishments in Kentucky