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<p>Monuments to the various regiments who fought in the Battle of Shiloh are in the park.</p>
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<h1>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</h1>
<p>The landscape of Tennessee, with its strategic rivers and fertile farms, became a crucial battleground during the American Civil War. Second only to Virginia in the sheer number of engagements, Tennessee's geographical position as a border state made it a focal point for both Union and Confederate forces. Control of Tennessee's rivers was paramount, serving as vital arteries to the Deep South. Securing these waterways, along with major roads and mountain passes like the Cumberland Gap, became a primary objective for the Union army from the outset of the conflict.</p>
<p>Tennessee's unique status as a border state fostered divided loyalties. Its citizens answered the call to arms from both sides of the conflict. Approximately 187,000 men joined the Confederate ranks, while 51,000 Tennesseans fought for the Union. This internal division, coupled with pockets of strong pro-Union sentiment, particularly in the mountainous regions of East Tennessee, further complicated the state's wartime experience. The article is all about <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b>.</p>
<p>Notable figures from Tennessee emerged on both sides of the conflict. Andrew Johnson, a staunch Unionist, served as Vice President of the United States. Several congressmen and state politicians also remained loyal to the Union cause. On the Confederate side, prominent leaders included the legendary cavalry commander Nathan B. Forrest, corps commanders Leonidas Polk and Benjamin F. Cheatham, and Governor Isham Harris. The article is all about <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b>.</p>
<p>The war's conclusion left Tennessee scarred by years of conflict. Traveling armies left devastation in their wake. Years of warring armies ravaged the state's infrastructure and economy.</p>
<p>The following is a list of significant battles that unfolded across Tennessee's diverse terrain, shaping the course of the war and leaving an indelible mark on the state's history. This is a summary of <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b>.</p>
<p><b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b></p>
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<p>Fort Henry (February 6, 1862)</p>
<p>Fort Donelson (February 11-16, 1862)</p>
<p>Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862)</p>
<p>Plum Run Bend (May 10, 1862)</p>
<p>Memphis (June 6, 1862)</p>
<p>Chattanooga (June 7-8, 1862)</p>
<p>Murfreesboro (July 13, 1862)</p>
<p>Hatchie’s Bridge (October 5, 1862)</p>
<p>Hartsville (December 7, 1862)</p>
<p>Stones River (December 31, 1862-Jan 2, 1863)</p>
<p>Lexington (December 18, 1862)</p>
<p>Jackson (December 19, 1862)</p>
<p>Trenton (December 20, 1862)</p>
<p>Parker’s Cross Roads (December 31, 1862)</p>
<p>Dover (February 3, 1863)</p>
<p>Thompson’s Station (March 5, 1863)</p>
<p>Vaught’s Hill (March 20, 1863)</p>
<p>Brentwood (March 25, 1863)</p>
<p>Franklin (April 10, 1863)</p>
<p>Hoover’s Gap (June 24-26, 1863)</p>
<p>Chattanooga (August 21, 1863)</p>
<p>Blountsville (September 22, 1863)</p>
<p>Wheeler’s Raid (October 1-9, 1863)</p>
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<p>Blue Springs (October 10, 1863)</p>
<p>Wauhatchie (October 28-29, 1863)</p>
<p>Collierville (October 11, 1863)</p>
<p>Collierville (November 3, 1863)</p>
<p>Orchard Knob (November 23, 1863)</p>
<p>Lookout Mountain (November 24, 1863)</p>
<p>Missionary Ridge (November 25, 1863)</p>
<p>Campbell’s Station (November 16, 1863)</p>
<p>Siege of Knoxville (November 17-December 4, 1863)</p>
<p>Fort Sanders (November 29, 1863)</p>
<p>Bean’s Station (December 14, 1863)</p>
<p>Mossy Creek (December 29, 1863)</p>
<p>Dandridge (January 17, 1864)</p>
<p>Fair Garden (January 27, 1864)</p>
<p>Fort Pillow (April 12, 1864)</p>
<p>Memphis (August 21, 1864)</p>
<p>Johnsonville (November 4-5, 1864)</p>
<p>Columbia (November 24-29, 1864)</p>
<p>Spring Hill (November 29, 1864)</p>
<p>Franklin (November 30, 1864)</p>
<p>Murfreesboro (December 5-7, 1864)</p>
<p>Nashville (December 15-16, 1864)</p>
<p>Bull’s Gap (November 11-13, 1864)</p>
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<p><b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b> Battle Summaries:</p>
<h6><em><span><strong>Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers Campaign (February – June 1862)</strong> </span></em></h6>
<p>Also referred to as the "Mississippi River Campaign" and the "Fort Henry and Fort Donelson Campaign," this strategic initiative by the Union commenced on February 6, 1862. Its primary goal was to establish invasion routes by land and water, while simultaneously disrupting Confederate supply lines. General Ulysses S. Grant spearheaded the campaign, moving his troops down the Tennessee River towards Fort Henry on February 2. He coordinated his efforts with United States Navy Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote. The campaign culminated with the Siege of Corinth, Mississippi, in May 1862.</p>
<p><strong>Fort Henry (February 6, 1862)</strong> – This engagement took place in Stewart and Henry Counties, Tennessee, and Calloway County, Kentucky, resulting in a Union victory. Fort Henry, a Confederate earthen fortification on the Tennessee River, was partially submerged due to rising waters. Confederate Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman, commanding the fort, realized its imminent fall. He evacuated the majority of his forces to Fort Donelson, while leaving artillery to delay the Union advance. Tilghman surrendered to Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote's fleet after a fierce bombardment. The fall of Fort Henry opened the Tennessee River to Union gunboats and shipping, significantly impacting Confederate transportation routes. The conflict resulted in estimated casualties of 40 Union and 79 Confederate.</p>
<p><strong>Fort Donelson (February 11-16, 1862)</strong> – Following the capture of Fort Henry, General Ulysses S. Grant marched his troops to Fort Donelson. The Union launched probing attacks on February 12-13. On February 14, U.S. Navy gunboats under Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote attempted to reduce the fort with naval gunfire but were forced to withdraw after sustaining heavy damage. The next day, the Confederates, commanded by Brigadier General John B. Floyd, launched a surprise attack to break the Union siege. Grant rallied his men and counterattacked. On February 16, Floyd and his second-in-command, Brigadier General Gideon J. Pillow, relinquished command to Brigadier General Simon Bolivar Buckner, who surrendered to Grant. The battle resulted in an estimated 2,331 U.S. and 15,067 Confederate casualties. This Union victory secured Kentucky, opened Tennessee to Union advancement, and elevated Grant's stature in the Western Theater.</p>
<p><strong>Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862)</strong> – Also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, this battle occurred in Hardin County, Tennessee. The fall of Forts Henry and Donelson forced Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston to retreat, ceding Kentucky and much of West and Middle Tennessee. Johnston chose Corinth, Mississippi, as a staging area for an offensive against General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee before the Army of the Ohio, under Major General Don Carlos Buell, could join it. Grant awaited Buell's arrival at Pittsburg Landing, choosing not to fortify his position. Johnston planned to attack Grant on April 4, but delays postponed it until the 6th. The battle of <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b>, would prove to be one of the deadliest of the war.</p>
<p>The Union troops continued into Corinth, Mississippi, where opposing forces battled between April 29 and June 10, 1862. When General P.G.T. Beauregard evacuated the town, the Union consolidated its position, ending the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers Campaign. The campaign highlights the <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b>.</p>
<h6><em><span><strong>Joint Operations Against New Madrid, Island No. 10, and Memphis (February-June 1862)</strong></span> </em></h6>
<p>This campaign, also known as the Joint Operations on the Middle Mississippi River, officially consisted of three battles to defend the Mississippi River. The first two battles were fought in Madrid, Missouri, one in the city itself and the other on an island in the Mississippi River called Island No. 10. The third battle of the campaign was fought in Memphis, Tennessee. After United States Navy Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote had taken Island #10, another battle was fought at Plum Run Bend in Tennessee.</p>
<p><strong>Plum Run Bend (May 10, 1862)</strong> – After Union Major General John Pope and Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote had taken Island #10 on the upper Mississippi River, only a Confederate gunboat fleet at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, protected the Mississippi River.</p>
<p>Pope and Foote planned to take the fort, but Pope was ordered to join Major General Henry W. Halleck’s army at Shiloh, Tennessee. Without adequate troops, Foote could only threaten Fort Pillow. In response, Confederate Colonel M. Jeff Thompson’s River Defense Fleet, commanded by Captain James E. Montgomery, attacked the Union troops with a makeshift fleet on May 10, 1862. Though the Confederates were outgunned, they took the Union fleet by surprise and sank two U.S. Ironclads – the Cincinnati and Mound City. After just 30 minutes, the Confederates withdrew to Fort Pillow. Both Federal warships were sunk in shallow water and soon returned to commission. Later, Fort Pillow was discovered abandoned, and when the Battle of Memphis took place the following month, the Confederate fleet would be destroyed.</p>
<p><strong>Memphis (June 6, 1862)</strong> – After the Confederate River Defense Fleet, commanded by Captain James E. Montgomery and Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson of the Missouri State Guard, bested the Union ironclads at Plum Run Bend, Tennessee, on May 10, 1862, they retired to Memphis. Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard ordered troops out of Fort Pillow and Memphis on June 4 after learning of Union Major General Henry W. Halleck’s occupation of Corinth, Mississippi. Thompson’s few troops camped outside Memphis, and Montgomery’s fleet was the only force available to meet the Union naval threat to the city. From Island No. 45, just north of Memphis, Union Flag Officer Charles H. Davis and Colonel Charles Ellet launched a naval attack on Memphis after 4:00 a.m. on June 6. Arriving off Memphis at about 5:30 a.m., the battle began. In the hour-and-a-half battle, the Union boats sank or captured all Confederate vessels; General Van Dorn escaped. Immediately following the battle, Colonel Ellet’s son, Medical Cadet Charles Ellet, Jr., met the mayor of Memphis and raised the Union colors over the courthouse. Later, Flag Officer Davis officially received the city’s surrender from the mayor. The Indiana Brigade, commanded by Colonel G.N. Fitch, then occupied the city. Memphis, an important commercial and economic center on the Mississippi River, had fallen, opening another Mississippi River section to Union shipping. The estimated casualties of the battle were one Union and 180 Confederate. The Battle of Memphis is a significant part of the <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b>.</p>
<h6><strong><em><span>Confederate Heartland Offensive (June-October 1862)</span></em></strong></h6>
<p>Also called the Kentucky Campaign, this series of maneuvers and battles took place in East Tennessee and Kentucky in 1862. From June through October, Confederate forces under Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith’s commands launched a series of movements to outflank the Army of the Ohio and draw the border state of Kentucky into the Confederate States of America. Though the Confederates gained some early successes, their progress was stopped decisively at the Battle of Perryville, leaving Kentucky in Union hands for the rest of the war.</p>
<p><strong>Chattanooga (June 7-8, 1862)</strong> – The first battle of this campaign was in Hamilton County, Tennessee, and Chattanooga. In late Spring, the Confederacy split its forces in Tennessee into several small commands to complicate Federal operations. The Union had to redistribute its forces to counter the changes in the Confederate command structure. Major General Ormsby Mitchel received orders to go to Huntsville, Alabama, to repair railroads. Soon, he occupied more than 100 miles along the Nashville & Chattanooga and Memphis & Charleston Railroads. In May, Mitchel and his men sparred with Major General Edmund Kirby Smith’s men.</p>
<p>On May 29, after Mitchel received command of all Federal troops between Nashville and Huntsville, he ordered Brigadier General James Negley, with a small division, to lead an expedition to capture Chattanooga.</p>
<p>This force arrived on June 7, and Negley ordered the 79th Pennsylvania Volunteers to reconnoiter. It found the Confederates entrenched on the opposite side of the river along the banks and atop Cameron Hill. Negley brought up two artillery batteries to open fire on the Rebel troops and the town and sent infantry to the river bank to act as sharpshooters. The Union bombardment of Chattanooga continued throughout the June 7 and until noon on the 8th. The Confederates replied, but it was uncoordinated since the undisciplined gunners were allowed to do as they wished. On June 10, Smith, who had arrived two days earlier, reported that Negley had withdrawn and the Confederate loss was minor. A Union victory, the assault resulted in 23 Union and 65 Confederate casualties.</p>
<p><strong>Murfreesboro (July 13, 1862)</strong> – The second battle of the campaign was in Rutherford County, Tennessee. On June 10, 1862, Major General Don Carlos Buell, commanding the Army of the Ohio, started a leisurely advance toward Chattanooga, which Union Brigadier General James Negley and his force threatened on June 7-8. In response to the threat, the Confederate government sent Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest to Chattanooga to organize a cavalry brigade. By July, the Confederate Cavalry under Forrest and Colonel John Hunt Morgan raided into Middle Tennessee and Kentucky. Perhaps the most dramatic of these cavalry raids was Forrest’s capture of the Union Murfreesboro garrison on July 13, 1862. Forrest left Chattanooga on July 9 with two cavalry regiments and joined other units on the way, bringing the total force to about 1,400 men. The primary objective was to strike Murfreesboro, an important Union supply center on the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, at dawn on July 13. The Murfreesboro garrison was camped in three locations around town. It included detachments from four units comprising infantry, cavalry, and artillery under Brigadier General Thomas T. Crittenden, who had just arrived on July 12. Between 4:15 and 4:30 a.m. on July 13, Forrest’s cavalry surprised the Union pickets on the Woodbury Pike, east of Murfreesboro, and quickly overran a Federal hospital, the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment detachment camp. Additional Rebel troops attacked the camps of the other Union commands and the jail and courthouse. By late afternoon, all Union units had surrendered to Forrest’s force. The Confederates destroyed much of the Union supplies. They tore up railroad tracks in the area, but the raid’s main result was diversifying Union forces from a drive on Chattanooga. Along with Morgan’s raid into Kentucky, this raid made possible Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s concentration of forces at Chattanooga and his early September invasion of Kentucky. Resulting in a Confederate victory, the estimated casualties were 890 Union and 150 Confederate. A list of <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b> is incomplete without Murfreesboro.</p>
<p>The Confederate Heartland Offensive continued into Kentucky at the Battle of Richmond on August 29-30, which resulted in a Confederate victory; the Battle of Munfordville on September 14-17, which also resulted in a Confederate victory; and finally, the last battle of the campaign at Perryville on October 8, 1862. This last battle resulted in a strategic Union victory. The Confederate offensive was over, and the Union controlled Kentucky.</p>
<h6><strong><em><span>Iuka and CorinthOperations( September - October, 1862)</span></em></strong></h6>
<p>During the late summer of 1862, Confederate forces attempted a three-pronged strategic advance into the North. The only coordinated Confederate attempt to carry the conflict to the enemy ended in disaster. The offensive strategy included Antietam, Maryland, Kentucky, and the northern Mississippi campaign referred to as the Iuka and Corinth Operations. This third campaign into Mississippi led to the devastating and little-studied defeats at Iuka and Corinth, Mississippi – defeats that would open the way for Grant’s attack on Vicksburg, Mississippi. The last battle of the Iuka and Corinth Campaign took place in Tennessee.</p>
<p><strong>Hatchie’s Bridge (October 5, 1862)</strong> – Also called the Battle of Davis Bridge and the Battle of Metamora, this last conflict of the Iuka and Corinth Campaign took place in Hardeman and McNairy Counties of Tennessee after Major General Earl Van Dorn’s Confederate Army of West Tennessee retreated from Corinth, Mississippi on October 4, 1862.</p>
<p>Union Major General William Rosecrans did not send forces in pursuit until the morning of October 5. In the meantime, Major General Edward O.C. Ord, commanding a detachment of the Army of West Tennessee, was advancing on Corinth to assist Rosecrans. On the night of October 4-5, he and his men were encamped near Pocahontas, Tennessee. Between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. the following day, his force encountered Union Major General Stephen A. Hurlbut’s 4th Brigade, Army of West Tennessee, on the Confederate front. Ord took command of the now-combined Union forces and pushed Van Dorn’s advance, Major General Sterling Price’s Army of the West, back about five miles to the Hatchie River and across Davis’ Bridge. After accomplishing this, Ord was wounded, and Hurlbut assumed command. While Price’s men were hotly engaged with Ord’s force, Van Dorn’s scouts looked for and found another crossing of the Hatchie River. Van Dorn then led his army back to Holly Springs, Mississippi. Ord had forced Price to retreat, but the Confederates escaped capture or destruction. Although they should have done so, Rosecran’s army had failed to capture or destroy Van Dorn’s force. This resulted in a Union victory, with the estimated casualties being 500 Union and 400 Confederates. Hatchie's Bridge is an important entry in the list of <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b>.</p>
<h6><em><strong><span>Stones River Campaign (December 1862 – January 1863) </span></strong></em></h6>
<p>After Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s defeat at Perryville, Kentucky, on October 8, 1862, he and his Confederate Army of the Mississippi retreated, reorganized, and were re-designated as the Army of Tennessee. They then advanced to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and prepared to go into winter quarters. However, the Union had different ideas.</p>
<p><strong>Hartsville (December 7, 1862)</strong> – Taking place in Trousdale County, Tennessee, the 39th Brigade of the 14th Army Corps was guarding the Cumberland River Crossing at Hartsville to prevent the Confederate Cavalry from raiding. However, under cover of darkness, Confederate Brigadier General John H. Morgan crossed the river in the early morning of December 7, 1862. Morgan’s advance wore Union blue uniforms, which got them past the mounted sentinels. When Morgan and his troops approached the Union camp, the pickets sounded the alarm and held the Rebels until the brigade was in the battle line. Under the command of Colonel Absalom B. Moore, the Union forces began fighting the Confederates at 6:45 a.m. and continued until about 8:30 a.m. One of Moore’s units ran, which caused confusion and forced the Federals to fall back. By 8:30 a.m., the Confederates had surrounded the Federals, convincing them to surrender. A Confederate victory, estimated casualties were 1,855 Union and 149 Confederate. This action at Hartsville, located north of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was a preliminary to the Confederate cavalry raids by General Nathan B. Forrest into West Tennessee in December 1862-January 1863 and General John Morgan’s into Kentucky in December 1862 – January 1863.</p>
<p><strong>Stone’s River (December 31, 1862-January 2, 1863)</strong> – Also referred to as the Battle of Murfreesboro or the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, this major battle of the Civil War took place in Rutherford County, Tennessee. After Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s defeat at Perryville, Kentucky, on October 8, 1862, he and his Confederate Army of the Mississippi retreated, reorganized, and were re-designated as the Army of Tennessee. They then advanced to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and prepared to go into winter quarters. Major General William Rosecran’s Union Army of the Cumberland followed Bragg from Kentucky to Nashville, Tennessee, leaving there on December 26 with about 44,000 men, with plans to defeat Bragg’s army of more than 37,000. The Union forces came upon Bragg’s army on December 29 and went into camp that night, within hearing distance of the Rebels.</p>
<p>At dawn on December 31, Bragg’s men attacked the Union’s right flank, and by 10:00 a.m., they had driven the Union line back to the Nashville Pike, but there it held. Union reinforcements arrived in the late forenoon to bolster the stand, and before fighting stopped that day, the Federals had established a new, strong line. Both armies marked time on New Year’s Day, and Bragg surmised that Rosecrans would withdraw. However, he and his troops were still in position the following day. In the late afternoon, Bragg sent a division of Confederate troops who had taken up a strong position on the bluff east of the river to attack the Union troops. The Confederates drove most of the Federals back across McFadden’s Ford. Still, the Federals repulsed the attack with artillery assistance, compelling the Rebels to retire to their original position. Bragg left the field on January 4-5, retreating to Shelbyville and Tullahoma, Tennessee. Rosecrans did not pursue it, but as the Confederates retired, he claimed the victory. Of the Civil War’s major battles, Stones River had the highest casualties on both sides, 13,249 U.S. and 10,266 Confederates. Although the battle itself was inconclusive, the Union Army’s repulse of two Confederate attacks and the subsequent Confederate withdrawal were a much-needed boost to Union morale after the defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg, and it dashed Confederate aspirations for control of Middle Tennessee. Stone’s River is definitely an important entry in the list of <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b>.</p>
<h6><strong><em><span>Forrest’s Expedition into West Tennessee (December 1862-January 1863) </span></em></strong></h6>
<p>Wanting to interrupt the rail supply line to Major General Ulysses S. Grant’s army, General Nathan Bedford Forrest made his way down the Mississippi Central Railroad. Additionally, if he could destroy the Mobile & Ohio Railroad running south from Columbus, Kentucky, through Jackson, Grant would have to curtail or halt his operations.</p>
<p><strong>Lexington (December 18, 1862)</strong> – General Nathan B. Forrest’s 2,100-man cavalry brigade crossed the Tennessee River from December 15 to December 17, heading west. In the meantime, Major General Ulysses S. Grant ordered troops at Jackson under Brigadier General Jeremiah C. Sullivan and a cavalry force under Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll to confront Forrest. Union troops saw Forrest’s advance troops as both armies marched towards Jackson. Ingersoll pulled back his troops about half a mile from Lexington and prepared to fight. The following day, Union Major Otto Funke led his troops in an attack on the Confederates, beginning a fight that would last several hours. But, the Union troops were far outnumbered and were soon overrun. Ingersoll became a prisoner with 149 men, and both cannons were captured. The number of casualties is unknown. The Union prisoners were held for 2-3 days, then paroled at Trenton, Tennessee. Those Federals who had escaped alarmed General Sullivan at Jackson, informing him that Forrest commanded a force as large as 10,000 men.</p>
<p><strong>Jackson (December 19, 1862)</strong> – After the Battle of Lexington, General Forrest continued his advance the next day while Union General Sullivan ordered Colonel Adolph Engelmann to take a small force northeast of Jackson. At Old Salem Cemetery, acting on the defensive, Engelmann’s two infantry regiments repulsed a Confederate-mounted attack and withdrew a mile closer to town. To Forrest, the fight amounted to no more than a ploy and show of force intended to hold Jackson’s Union defenders in place while two mounted columns destroyed railroad tracks north and south of the town and returned. This accomplished, Forrest withdrew from the Jackson area to attack Trenton, Tennessee. Thus, although the Federals had checked a demonstration by a portion of Forrest’s force, a significant accomplishment, other Confederates had fulfilled an element of the expedition’s mission. This resulted in a Confederate victory. The casualties of the Union were about six, and the Confederates are unknown.</p>
<p><strong>Trenton (December 20, 1862)</strong> – General Nathan B. Forrest led his troops to Trenton, Tennessee, after the Battle of Jackson to take the Mobile and Ohio Railroad Depot. After a brief fight in the depot area, Union defenders surrendered rather than face destruction by Forrest’s artillery. The Confederates then ransacked the courthouse and destroyed military supplies in the town. The Confederates took about 700 Union prisoners.</p>
<p><strong>Parker’s Cross Roads (December 31, 1862)</strong> – As Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest’s expedition into West Tennessee neared its conclusion, Union Brigadier General Jeremiah C. Sullivan, with the brigades of Colonel Cyrus L. Dunham and Colonel John W. Fuller, attempted to cut Forrest off from withdrawing across the Tennessee River. Dunham’s and Forrest’s march routes, on December 31, 1862, brought them into contact at Parker’s Cross Roads in present-day Henderson County. Skirmishing began about 9:00 a.m., with Forrest taking an initial position along a wooded ridge northwest of Dunham at the intersection. Confederate artillery gained an early advantage. Dunham pulled his brigade back a half-mile and redeployed. His Federal troops repelled frontal feints until attacked on both flanks and rear by Forrest’s mounted and dismounted troops. During a lull, Forrest sent Dunham a demand for unconditional surrender. Dunham refused, prepared for Forrest’s subsequent onset when Fuller’s Union brigade arrived from the north and surprised the Confederates with an attack on their rear. Confederate security detachments had failed to warn of Fuller’s approach. “Charge ‘em both ways,” ordered Forrest. The Confederates briefly reversed front, repelled Fuller, then rushed past Dunham’s demoralized force and withdrew south to Lexington and across the Tennessee River. Both sides claimed victory, but the Confederate claims have more credence. Estimated casualties were 237 Union and 500 Confederate.</p>
<h6><strong><em><span>Middle Tennessee Operations (February-April 1863) </span></em></strong></h6>
<p>After his victory at Stones River, Major General William Rosecrans occupied Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for almost six months while Confederate General Braxton Bragg rested in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He established a long defensive line to block Union advances against the strategic city of Chattanooga in his rear. In April, Union cavalry under Colonel Abel Streight moved against the railroad that supplied Bragg’s army in Middle Tennessee, hoping it would cause them to withdraw to Georgia.</p>
<p><strong>Dover (February 3, 1863)</strong> – Taking place in Stewart County, Tennessee, this conflict was also called the Battle of Fort Donelson. Under orders, in late January 1863, Confederate Major General Joseph Wheeler, commanding two brigades of cavalry, had taken a position on the Cumberland River at Palmyra to disrupt Union shipping.</p>
<p>The Federals, however, apprised of Wheeler’s intent, refrained from sending any boats up or downriver. Unable to disrupt Union shipping and realizing that he and his men could not remain in the area indefinitely, Wheeler decided to attack the garrison at Dover, Tennessee, which informers reported was small and could easily be overwhelmed. The Rebels set out for Dover between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. on February 3 and began an attack.</p>
<p>The 800-man garrison, under the command of Colonel A.C. Harding, was in and about the town of Dover, where they had chosen camps that commanded the area and had dug rifle pits and battery emplacements. The Confederates mounted a determined attack using artillery fire with great skill but were repulsed with heavy losses. By dusk, both sides were mainly without ammunition. The Confederates surveyed the Union defenses and decided that the enemy was too well-placed to capture, and Wheeler’s force retired. The Federals sent out a pursuit but to no avail. The Confederates had failed to disrupt shipping on the Cumberland River and capture the garrison at Dover. This Confederate failure left the Union in control in Middle Tennessee, and a bitter Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest denounced Wheeler, a favorite of General Braxton Bragg, saying he would not again serve under him. The estimated casualties of the skirmish were 125 Union and 670 Confederate.</p>
<p><strong>Thompson’s Station (March 5, 1863)</strong> – In a period of relative inactivity following the Battle of Stones River, a reinforced Union infantry brigade under Colonel John Coburn left Franklin to reconnoiter south toward Columbia. Four miles from Spring Hill, in Williamson County, Coburn attacked with his right wing, a Confederate force composed of two regiments, but was repelled. Then, Confederate Major General Van Dorn seized the initiative. Brigadier General W.H. “Red” Jackson’s dismounted 2nd Division made a frontal attack, while Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest’s division swept around Coburn’s left flank into his rear. After three attempts, characterized by hard fighting, Jackson carried the Union hilltop position as Forrest captured Coburn’s wagon train and blocked the road to Columbia in his rear. Out of ammunition and surrounded, Coburn surrendered. Union influence in Middle Tennessee subsided for a while. The Confederate victory generated 1,906 Union casualties and 300 Confederate.</p>
<p><strong>Vaught’s Hill (March 20, 1863)</strong> – Also called the Battle of Milton, this skirmish occurred in Rutherford County, Tennessee. During the inactivity following the Battle of Stones River, a Union brigade-sized reconnaissance force under Colonel Albert S. Hall left Murfreesboro on March 18. Circling to the northeast, Hall encountered Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan’s cavalry command, which caused him to fall back to Milton’s position east. Pursuing Hall, Morgan’s men caught up with him on the morning of March 20 at Vaught’s Hill. Dismounted, Morgan struck at both Union flanks, even to the point of encircling Hall’s hilltop position. Hall conducted a perimeter defense and withstood all Confederate attacks, which lasted till after 2:00 p.m. Morgan continued to bombard the Yankees until 4:30 p.m. when he broke off the engagement after learning that Union reinforcements were en route from Murfreesboro. Continuing to strengthen their position in Middle Tennessee, the Union victory resulted in about 62 Union casualties and 373 Confederate casualties.</p>
<p><strong>Brentwood (March 25, 1863)</strong> – Occurring in Williamson County, Tennessee, Union Lieutenant Colonel Edward Bloodgood held Brentwood, a station on the Nashville & Decatur Railroad, with 400 men on the morning of March 25, 1863, when Confederate Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest with a powerful column, approached the town. The day before, Forrest had ordered Colonel J.W. Starnes, commanding the 2nd Brigade, to go to Brentwood, cut the telegraph, tear up railroad track, attack the stockade, and cut off any retreat. Forrest and the other cavalry brigade joined Bloodgood at about 7:00 a.m. on March 25.</p>
<p>A messenger from the stockade informed Bloodgood that Forrest’s men were about to attack and had destroyed the railroad track. Bloodgood sought to notify his superiors and discovered that the telegraph lines were cut. Forrest sent in a demand for surrender under a flag of truce, but Bloodgood refused. Within a half-hour, though, Forrest had artillery to shell Bloodgood’s position and had surrounded the Federals with a large force. Bloodgood decided to surrender. During this expedition, Forrest and his men caused much damage in the area, and Brentwood, on the railroad, was a significant loss to the Federals. The estimated casualties of the battle were 305 Union and 6 Confederate.</p>
<p><strong>Franklin (April 10, 1863)</strong> – Occurring in Williamson County, this engagement at Franklin was a reconnaissance in force by Confederate cavalry leader Major General Earl Van Dorn coupled with an equally inept response by Union Major General Gordon Granger. Van Dorn advanced northward from Spring Hill on May 10, contacting Federal skirmishers outside Franklin. Van Dorn’s attack was so weak that when Granger received a false report that Brentwood, to the north, was under attack, he believed it and sent away most of his cavalry, thinking that the Confederate general was undertaking a diversion.</p>
<p>When the truth became known – there was no threat to Brentwood – Granger decided to attack Van Dorn, but he was surprised to learn that a subordinate had already done so without orders. Brigadier General David S. Stanley, with a cavalry brigade, had crossed the Harpeth River at Hughes’s Ford behind the Confederate right rear. The 4th U.S. Cavalry attacked and captured Freeman’s Tennessee Battery on Lewisburg Road but lost it when Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest counterattacked. Stanley’s troopers quickly withdrew across the Big Harpeth River. In his rear, this incident caused Van Dorn to cancel his operations and withdraw to Spring Hill, leaving the Federals in control of the area. The Union victory resulted in estimated casualties of 100 Union and 137 Confederate.</p>
<h6><strong><em><span>Middle Tennessee Campaign (June 1863)</span></em></strong></h6>
<p>Also called the Tullahoma Campaign, Colonel Abel Streight and his Union Cavalry raided through Mississippi and Alabama, fighting against Nathan B. Forrest. Streight’s Raid ended when his exhausted men surrendered near Rome, Georgia, on May 3. In June, Rosecrans finally advanced against Bragg in a brilliant, almost bloodless maneuver campaign, the Tullahoma Campaign, and drove Bragg from Middle Tennessee.</p>
<p><strong>Hoover’s Gap (June 24-26, 1863)</strong> – This conflict occurred in Bedford and Rutherford Counties of Tennessee. Following the Battle of Stones River, Major General William Rosecrans, commanding the Army of the Cumberland, remained in the Murfreesboro area for five and one-half months. General Braxton Bragg, commander of the Army of Tennessee, established a fortified line along the Duck River from Shelbyville to Wartrace to counter the Yankees. On the Confederate right, infantry and artillery detachments guarded Liberty, Hoover’s, and Bellbuckle gaps through the mountains. Rosecrans’ superiors, fearing that Bragg might detach large numbers of men to help break the Siege of Vicksburg, urged him to attack the Confederates.</p>
<p>On June 23, 1863, he feigned an attack on Shelbyville but massed against Bragg’s right. His troops struck out toward the gaps, and Major General George H. Thomas’s men, on June 24, forced Hoover’s Gap. Under Colonel J.R. Butler, the Confederate 3rd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment held Hoover’s Gap, but the Yankees quickly pushed it aside. As this unit fell back, it ran into Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson’s and Brigadier General William B. Bate’s Brigades, Stewart’s Division, Hardee’s Corps, Army of Tennessee, which marched off to meet Thomas and his men.</p>
<p>Fighting continued at the gap until just before noon on June 26, when Major General Alexander P. Stewart, the Confederate division commander, sent a message to Johnson and Bate stating that he was pulling back and they should also. Although slowed by rain, Rosecrans moved on, forcing Bragg to give up his defensive line and fall back to Tullahoma. Rosecrans sent a flying column (Wilder’s Lightning Brigade, the same that had spearheaded the thrust through Hoover’s Gap on the 24th) ahead to hit the railroad in Bragg’s rear. Arriving too late to destroy the Elk River railroad bridge, the Federals tore up many tracks around Decherd. Bragg evacuated Middle Tennessee. As a result of the Union victory, the number of casualties remains unknown.</p>
<h6><span><em><strong>Chickamauga Campaign (August-September 1863)</strong></em></span></h6>
<p>Major General William Rosecrans’ Federal Army of the Cumberland’s primary objective was to keep control of the roads heading southward. One of these went through Chattanooga. In the meantime, General Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee was determined to block the Federal Army from Chattanooga. The first battle of the campaign took place in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Two more were fought in Georgia at Davis’ Cross-Roads and Chickamauga.</p>
<p><strong>Chattanooga (August 21, 1863)</strong> – On August 16, 1863, Major General William Rosecrans, commander of the Army of the Cumberland, launched a campaign to take Chattanooga, Tennessee. Colonel John T. Wilder’s brigade of the Union 4th Division of the 14th Army Corps marched northeast of Chattanooga, where the Confederates could see them, reinforcing General Braxton Bragg’s expectations of a Union attack on the town from that direction.</p>
<p>On August 21, Wilder reached the Tennessee River opposite Chattanooga and ordered the 18th Indiana Light Artillery to shell the town. The shells caught many soldiers and civilians in a town church, observing a day of prayer and fasting. The bombardment sank two steamers docked at the landing and created a great deal of consternation amongst the Confederates. Continued periodically over the next two weeks, the shelling helped keep Bragg’s attention to the northeast while the bulk of Rosecran’s army crossed the Tennessee River well west and south of Chattanooga. When Bragg learned on September 8 that the Union army was in force southwest of the city, he abandoned Chattanooga. In a successful Union demonstration, the number of casualties remains unknown.</p>
<h6><span><em><strong>East Tennessee Campaign (September-October 1863)</strong></em></span></h6>
<p>Major General Ambrose Burnside, commander of the Department of the Ohio, undertook this campaign into East Tennessee to clear the roads and gaps to Virginia and reduce or extinguish Confederate influence in the area. The ultimate goal was to secure the saltworks beyond Abingdon, Virginia.</p>
<p><strong>Blountsville (September 22, 1863)</strong> – Major General Ambrose Burnside, commander of the Department of the Ohio, undertook an expedition into East Tennessee to clear the roads and gaps to Virginia and, if possible, secure the saltworks beyond Abingdon. In Sullivan County, Tennessee, Union Colonel John W. Foster, with his cavalry and artillery, engaged Colonel James E. Carter and his troops at Blountsville on September 22. In the four-hour battle, Foster attacked at noon, shelled the town, and initiated a flanking movement, compelling the Confederates to withdraw. Blountsville was the initial step in the Union’s attempt to force Confederate Major General Sam Jones and his command to retire from East Tennessee. The Union victory resulted in 27 Union casualties and 165 Confederate.</p>
<p><strong>Blue Springs (October 10, 1863)</strong> – While the Union continued to clear the roads and passes to Virginia, Confederate Brigadier General John S. Williams, with his cavalry force, set out to disrupt Union communications and logistics. He wished to take Bull’s Gap on the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad. On October 3, while advancing on Bull’s Gap, he fought with Brigadier General Samuel P. Carter’s Union Cavalry Division, 23rdI Army Corps, at Blue Springs, about nine miles from Bull’s Gap, on the railroad. Carter, not knowing how many of the enemies he faced, withdrew. Carter and Williams skirmished for the next few days. On October 10, Carter approached Blue Springs in force. Williams had received some reinforcements. The battle began at about 10:00 a.m., with the Union cavalry engaging the Confederates until afternoon when another mounted force attempted to place itself in a position to cut off a Rebel retreat. Captain Orlando M. Poe, the Chief Engineer, performed a reconnaissance to identify the best location for making an infantry attack. At 3:30 p.m., Brigadier General Edward Ferrero’s 1st Division, 9th Army Corps, moved up to attack, which he did at 5:00 p.m. Ferrero’s men broke into the Confederate line, causing heavy casualties, and advanced almost to the enemy’s rear before being checked. After dark, the Confederates withdrew, and the Federals took up the pursuit in the morning. Within days, Williams and his men had retired to Virginia. Burnside had launched the East Tennessee Campaign to reduce or extinguish Confederate influence in the area; Blue Springs helped fulfill that mission. The Union victory resulted in about 100 casualties for the Union and 216 for the Confederates.</p>
<h6><strong><em><span>Reopening the Tennessee River (October 1863) </span></em></strong></h6>
<p>After the disastrous defeat at Chickamauga, Major General William Rosecrans and his men took refuge in Chattanooga, Tennessee. However, the only supply line the Confederates did not control was a roundabout, tortuous course nearly 60 miles long over Walden’s Ridge from Bridgeport, Alabama. The campaign was an effort to relieve the Union forces in the city, who, by the end of October, rations had been cut to “four cakes of hard bread and a quarter pound of pork” every three days.</p>
<p><strong>Wheeler’s Raid (October 1-9, 1863)</strong> – A large cavalry raid in southeastern Tennessee, Major General Joseph Wheeler’s Confederate cavalry scored a great initial success in cutting off supply lines to the Union Army. After the disastrous Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, Major General William Rosecrans and his troops were pushed back to Chattanooga and desperately needed supplies and ammunition. There was only one avenue for supplies – the Sequatchie Valley Road, a winding, narrow path through the south Tennessee woods. Confederate General Braxton Bragg decided to deliver a final blow to the starving Federals by cutting off this lifeline and sent a reluctant Major General Joseph Wheeler, who questioned the ability of his already depleted force to carry out the order to do the job. Wheeler quickly broke through the defensive screen of Brigadier General George Crook’s 2nd Cavalry Division near Decatur, Tennessee. Wheller was joined by some of Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest’s brigades, who converged on the Sequatchie Valley and captured the Union supply trains.</p>
<p>Pursued by General Crook and his men, Wheeler galloped through the valley for the next week, destroying nearly everything in sight. During these nine days, he and his men destroyed or captured more than 1,000 supply wagons, hundreds of draft animals, two towns in Tennessee, five critical bridges, miles of railroads, and millions of dollars of supplies. However, Wheeler’s command was roughed up quite a bit by Union horsemen, as Crook’s men were able to push the Confederates back, deflect Wheeler from a supply base, recapture some Union supplies, and force Wheeler to escape across the Tennessee River.</p>
<p><strong>Wauhatchie (October 28-29, 1863)</strong> – Also called the Battle of Brown’s Ferry, this battle occurred in Hamilton, Marion, and Dade Counties of Tennessee. Major General George H. Thomas and Major General Ulysses S. Grant initiated the “Cracker Line Operation” on October 26, 1863, to relieve Union forces besieged in Chattanooga. This operation required opening the road to Chattanooga from Brown’s Ferry on the Tennessee River with a simultaneous advance up Lookout Valley, securing Kelley’s Ferry Road.</p>
<p>Union Chief Engineer, Brigadier General William F. “Baldy” Smith, with Brigadier General John B. Turchin’s and Brigadier General William B. Hazen’s 1st and 2nd brigades of the 4th Army Corps, was assigned the task of establishing the Brown’s Ferry bridgehead. Meanwhile, Major General Joseph Hooker, with three divisions, marched from Bridgeport through Lookout Valley towards Brown’s Ferry from the south.</p>
<p>At 3:00 a.m. on October 27, portions of Hazen’s brigade embarked upon pontoons and floated around Moccasin Bend to Brown’s Ferry. Turchin’s brigade took a position on Moccasin Bend across from Brown’s Ferry. Upon landing, Hazen secured the bridgehead and then positioned a pontoon bridge across the river, allowing Turchin to cross and take a position on his right. Hooker, while his force passed through Lookout Valley on October 28, detached Brigadier General John W. Geary’s division at Wauhatchie Station, a stop on the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, to protect the line of communications to the south as well as the road west to Kelley’s Ferry.</p>
<p>Observing the Union movements on October 27 and 2h, Confederate Lieutenant General James Longstreet and General Braxton Bragg decided to mount a night attack on Wauhatchie Station. Although the attack was scheduled for 10:00 p.m. on October 28, confusion delayed it till midnight. Surprised by the attack, Geary’s division at Wauhatchie Station formed into a V-shaped battle line. Hearing the din of battle, Hooker, at Brown’s Ferry, sent Major General Oliver Otis Howard with two 11th Army Corps divisions to Wauhatchie Station as reinforcements. As more and more Union troops arrived, the Confederates fell back to Lookout Mountain. The Federals now had their window to the outside and could receive supplies, weapons, ammunition, and reinforcements via the Cracker Line.</p>
<p>Relatively few night engagements occurred during the Civil War, but Wauhatchie is one of the most significant. The engagement resulted in a Union victory, and the estimated casualties were 420 Union and 408 Confederate.</p>
<h6><span><em><strong>Operations on the Memphis & Charleston Railroad (November 1863)</strong></em></span></h6>
<p>In Shelby County, Tennessee, Four minor battles were fought at Collierville for three months. The railroad, which the Union had taken in April 1862, severed the Confederacy’s vital east-west rail artery. They attacked when the Confederate Cavalry learned that only two Union regiments defended Collierville. The two largest battles occurred on October 11, 1863, and November 3, 1863. This is a look at the <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b>, Collierville.</p>
<p><strong>Collierville (October 11, 1863)</strong> – This battle occurred when Confederate forces of Brigadier General James R. Chalmers advanced from its base in Oxford, Mississippi, to attack the Union garrison at Collierville. Union forces were commanded by Union Colonel D. C. Anthony of the 66th Indiana Infantry, which had established defenses at the railroad depot and a stockade with 8-foot-high walls and a line of rifle pits. General Chalmers planned to cut the telegraph lines, burn the railroad trestles, and surround the fort. At about noon, a train constraining Major General William T. Sherman and his troops arrived from Memphis, which brought the total number of men fighting in the battle to about 4,000. General Sherman narrowly escaped capture as the Confederates boarded his train and captured personal items, including his horse, Dolly. The battle raged around the fort and depot, and eventually, the Confederates drove all the Union forces into the fort, the depot, or railroad cuts for protection. However, during the battle that lasted about five hours, neither side was able to gain control. Fearing reinforcements from Germantown, the Confederates withdrew without taking the fort. Estimated casualties were estimated at 164 Union and 128 Confederate.</p>
<p><strong>Collierville (November 3, 1863)</strong> – While Major General William T. Sherman’s 15th Army Corps was marching to the relief of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Confederate Brigadier General James R. Chalmers led another attack on Collierville. However, Union Colonel Edward Hatch possessed more men than Chalmers supposed, stationed at Collierville and Germantown, five miles to the west. Scouts warned Hatch of Chalmers’s approach from the south, so he ordered Collierville’s defenders to be prepared and rode from Germantown with cavalry reinforcements. As he had done only three weeks earlier, General Chalmers attacked from the south with Colonels Benjamin McCulloch’s and W.F. Slemon’s brigades. The Union troops repulsed the attack, and Chalmers, concluding that he was outnumbered, called off the battle and withdrew back to Mississippi to ward off Union pursuit. The battle resulted in an estimated 60 Union casualties and 95 Confederate. In the meantime, the Memphis & Charleston Railroad remained open to Tuscumbia, Alabama, for Union troop movements.</p>
<h6><em><span><strong>Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign (November 1863)</strong></span></em></h6>
<p>Also called the Chattanooga Campaign, this was a series of maneuvers and battles taking place in Hamilton County and Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Ringgold Gap in Georgia. Following the defeat of Major General William Rosecrans’ Union Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga, Mississippi, in September, the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg besieged Rosecrans and his men by occupying key high terrain around Chattanooga, Tennessee. Major General Ulysses S. Grant was given command of Union forces in the West, and significant reinforcements began to arrive with him in Chattanooga from Mississippi and the Eastern Theater. Grant replaced Rosecrans with Major General George Thomas, and a new supply line was soon established. Major General William T. Sherman arrived with his four divisions in mid-November, and the Federals began offensive operations. These battles are included in the <b>Civil War Battles of Tennessee</b>.</p>
<p><strong>Orchard Knob (November 23, 1863)</strong> – The first battle of the campaign occurred at Orchard Knob in Chattanooga when the Union Army observed columns of Confederate troops marching away from Missionary Ridge and heard claims from Confederate deserters that the entire army was falling back. General Grant became concerned that Confederate General Braxton Bragg was massively reinforcing Confederate General Longstreet and sought to disrupt the movement. Major General George Thomas ordered his division under Brigadier General Thomas J. Wood to advance in force. Wood’s men were soon joined by Major General Philip Sheridan’s division and General O.O. Howard’s 11th Corps, extending the line and presenting over 20,000 soldiers. At 1:30 p.m., 14,000 Union soldiers moved forward, sweeping across the plains, stunning the 600 Confederate defenders, who were able to fire only a single volley before they were overrun. Casualties were relatively small on both sides. Orchard Knob became Grant’s and Thomas’s headquarters for the remainder of the battles.</p>
<p><strong>Lookout Mountain (November 24, 1863)</strong> – Major General Joseph Hooker, with about 10,000 men, was ordered to Lookout Mountain. The Union troops were opposed by Brigadier General Edward C. Walthall’s brigade of Major General Benjamin F. Cheatham’s division. The troops pushed Walthall’s badly outnumbered men back to the Cravens House, just below the mountain’s northern end. The men of Brigadier General John C. Brown’s Confederate brigade on the mountaintop found themselves powerless to intervene in the battle raging below the cliffs. By about 3:00 p.m., thick fog enveloped the mountain, and though the two sides blazed away blindly, few men were hit. Realizing the battle was lost, General Braxton Bragg ordered the position abandoned, and at midnight, when the fog cleared and, under a lunar eclipse, the Confederate troops retreated behind Chattanooga Creek, burning the bridges behind them.</p>
<p><strong>Missionary Ridge (November 25, 1863)</strong> – General Grant ordered Sherman’s, Hooker’s, and Thomas’ troops to advance on Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, where General Braxton Bragg and his men had taken refuge. As the morning progressed, Sherman launched multiple direct assaults, but he made little headway despite his