Okla-homey
6/10/2007, 09:13 AM
June 10, 1864: Battle of Brice's Crossroads
http://aycu03.webshots.com/image/18002/2005795490582535045_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005795490582535045)
143 years ago today, CS General Nathan Bedford Forrwst's legend grows substantially when his Confederate cavalry routs a much larger Federal force in northern Mississippi. Forrest was one of only a handful of senior Confederate general officers who lacked any formal military training. In fact, he was one of only three Confederate lieutenant generals (three-stars) who had not attended West Point. The other two were politically well-connected and/or extremely wealthy.
http://aycu35.webshots.com/image/18194/2005762183117210982_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005762183117210982)
N.B. Forrest
Now, before we get into this, it's important for you folks to understand something. I have been a student of Forrest's campaigns since high school. I also uderstand and acknowledge Forrest is not "PC" because of his post-war role in the establishment of a secret society, members of which wore bed sheets and pointy hats and ultimately began to engage in nocturnal terrorist activities. Also hurting him is the fact that before the war, Forrest had become a prosperous commercial farmer and occasionally engaged in a bit of retail slave-trading.
http://aycu08.webshots.com/image/17487/2005786642328013248_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005786642328013248)
Historical marker in Coahoma County, MS near Clarksdale. On east side of State Hwy 1, 4 miles south on intersection with State Hwy 322
.
Beyond simply mentioning it, I'm not going to address the fact that after the KKK morphed from a political/fraternal organization into what it became, Forrest quit the group. Indeed, I don't even consider myself a Forrest apologist beyond pointing out he was the "Wizard of the Saddle," long before he was a "Wizard of the Klan." Now, back to our story...
When US General William T. Sherman inched toward Atlanta, Georgia, in the summer of 1864, he left behind a vulnerable supply line through Tennessee.
http://aycu15.webshots.com/image/16774/2005733373086697315_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005733373086697315)
Of utmost concern to Sherman was the Rebel cavalry under the command of Forrest, a daring leader who gave US commanders in the west difficulty throughout the war. Sherman insisted that Forrest be neutralized and ordered a force from Memphis to hunt down Forrest's command, which at that time was in northern Alabama.
Forrest was a particularly potent cavalryman because of they way he fought. See, Forrest looked on the horse as simply a way of getting his force from point A to point B. Once they arrived at a carefully chosen objective, they dismounted and fought on foot just like infantry using standard infantry weapons, not just pistols and sabers.
http://aycu29.webshots.com/image/19188/2005726643687983640_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005726643687983640)
Artists depiction of a typical one of Forrest's troopers.
This wasn't a brand new tactic, but Forrest intuitively mastered it and it allowed him to "get there first with the most men" which is still a key to winning in set piece ground ground combat.
Forrest was also supported by extremely resourceful "flying artillerymen" who managed to keep their batteries in close formation with the quick moving mounted battalions. That meant that as soon as the Forrest's troopers dismounted to fight, they could be supported by their attached artillery who quickly unlimbered and began to send salvos downrange.
http://aycu04.webshots.com/image/19683/2001262956645166244_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001262956645166244)
Horse artillery of the period. Ordinary field artillery was horse-drawn as well of course, but the gun detachment marched alongside on foot. "Flying" or "horse" artillery employed a horse for every gunner and could therefore move much faster. Why didn't all light artillery of the period operate this way? Easy. Too many dang horses required! See, you gotta acquire them, they continually wear-out or get killed and you gotta feed 'em -- that was a major pain in the kiester.
On June 1, some 5,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry troopers under the command of General Samuel D. Sturgis trudged out of Memphis in search of the elusive Forrest. As an aside, Sam Sturgis is the guy for whom the town in the Blackhills of SD is named where motorcylists rally every summer. Rain and poor roads slowed Sturgis' troopers and foot soldiers and a week's travel found the Federals only 50 miles from Memphis.
http://aycu21.webshots.com/image/19780/2002077289038384533_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2002077289038384533)
Samuel Davis Sturgis ( June 11, 1822 – September 28, 1889) He served in the Mexican-American War, as a Union general in the American Civil War, and later in the Indian Wars.
Forrest had been preparing for an assault on the fat country in central Tennessee, but Sturgis's expedition forced him back to northern Mississippi. The Confederates spread out along a railroad between Tupelo and Corinth and awaited the Union advance.
On June 8, Forrest learned that Sturgis was moving on Tupelo. Forrest carefully selected Brice's Crossroads for its muddy roads and dense woods to mitigate the Union's numerical advantage and called for his men to attack the leading Yankee cavalry, which would force the trailing infantry to hurry to the battle and fight before recovering from the march.
The plan worked to perfection. Around 10 a.m. on June 10, the cavalry forces began fighting, which prompted the US infantry to make a five-mile dash at the double-quick in the intense Mississippi heat and humidity to reinforce their fellow soldiers.
http://aycu16.webshots.com/image/19655/2005740181184268032_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005740181184268032)
Despite being seriously outnumbered, in the afternoon, Forrest orchestrated a series of attacks all along the Union front, essentially attacking in several directions simultaneously which broke the Yankee lines and sent the Federals from the field in disarray with the Confederates in hot pursuit.
When a Confederate force reached the area near Tishomingo Creek Bridge, the Federals feared for their line of retreat, and what began as an orderly withdrawal turned into a panicked route after a wagon overturned on the bridge. Efforts by some Federal units, including the 55th and 59th U.S. Colored Troops, provided stiff resistance, but despite that, Forrest chased the Federal column for nearly 25 miles.
Brice's Cross Roads proved a brilliant Confederate victory. At a cost of only 493 casualties, Forrest's command of 3,500 had handled Sturgis' force of 8,500, inflicting 2,612 casualties in the process -- nearly a quarter of the whole US force. The Confederates captured 16 cannons and 176 supply wagons filled with victuals for man and horse as well as much-needed ammunition.
The chase continued into the next day. Forrest referred to such pursuits as "keeping the scare on" because a routed force can be prevented from rallying and counter-attacking if you stay with them as they run while whooping and hollering, taking potshots and occasionally cleaving a noggin or two with a cavalry saber. Forrest finally disengaged when Sturgis reached the Memphis suburbs.
Upon hearing of the defeat at Brice's Cross Roads, Sherman said:
"I will order them to make up a force and go out and follow Forrest to the death, if it cost 10,000 lives and breaks the Treasury. There never will be peace in Tennessee till Forrest is dead."
Sherman never killed Forrest but Forrest was never able to completely destroy Sherman's supply lines either. He definitely continued to give Sherman and the US leadership in the western theater fits until the war ended the next spring.
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads stands as his greatest tactical achievement and is still studied today in professional military circles. Not bad for a Mississippi-born farmboy who hadn't gone to school beyond fourth grade.
http://aycu26.webshots.com/image/19585/2005783231606699741_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005783231606699741)
US officers engaged in on-site study of the Brice's Crossroads battlefield.
The battlefield is administered by the National Park Service. The Brice's Crossroads Visitor and Interpretive Center has a large collection of artifacts from the battle.
http://aycu07.webshots.com/image/16646/2005766437607647744_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005766437607647744)
linkage:
http://home.nps.gov/brcr/planyourvisit/hours.htm
Postscript:
In Memphis...
http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/16290/2005783279377478010_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005783279377478010)
Great-Grandson of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest
http://aycu04.webshots.com/image/19683/2001256677671734254_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001256677671734254)
My favorite Forrest biography
http://aycu03.webshots.com/image/18002/2005795490582535045_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005795490582535045)
143 years ago today, CS General Nathan Bedford Forrwst's legend grows substantially when his Confederate cavalry routs a much larger Federal force in northern Mississippi. Forrest was one of only a handful of senior Confederate general officers who lacked any formal military training. In fact, he was one of only three Confederate lieutenant generals (three-stars) who had not attended West Point. The other two were politically well-connected and/or extremely wealthy.
http://aycu35.webshots.com/image/18194/2005762183117210982_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005762183117210982)
N.B. Forrest
Now, before we get into this, it's important for you folks to understand something. I have been a student of Forrest's campaigns since high school. I also uderstand and acknowledge Forrest is not "PC" because of his post-war role in the establishment of a secret society, members of which wore bed sheets and pointy hats and ultimately began to engage in nocturnal terrorist activities. Also hurting him is the fact that before the war, Forrest had become a prosperous commercial farmer and occasionally engaged in a bit of retail slave-trading.
http://aycu08.webshots.com/image/17487/2005786642328013248_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005786642328013248)
Historical marker in Coahoma County, MS near Clarksdale. On east side of State Hwy 1, 4 miles south on intersection with State Hwy 322
.
Beyond simply mentioning it, I'm not going to address the fact that after the KKK morphed from a political/fraternal organization into what it became, Forrest quit the group. Indeed, I don't even consider myself a Forrest apologist beyond pointing out he was the "Wizard of the Saddle," long before he was a "Wizard of the Klan." Now, back to our story...
When US General William T. Sherman inched toward Atlanta, Georgia, in the summer of 1864, he left behind a vulnerable supply line through Tennessee.
http://aycu15.webshots.com/image/16774/2005733373086697315_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005733373086697315)
Of utmost concern to Sherman was the Rebel cavalry under the command of Forrest, a daring leader who gave US commanders in the west difficulty throughout the war. Sherman insisted that Forrest be neutralized and ordered a force from Memphis to hunt down Forrest's command, which at that time was in northern Alabama.
Forrest was a particularly potent cavalryman because of they way he fought. See, Forrest looked on the horse as simply a way of getting his force from point A to point B. Once they arrived at a carefully chosen objective, they dismounted and fought on foot just like infantry using standard infantry weapons, not just pistols and sabers.
http://aycu29.webshots.com/image/19188/2005726643687983640_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005726643687983640)
Artists depiction of a typical one of Forrest's troopers.
This wasn't a brand new tactic, but Forrest intuitively mastered it and it allowed him to "get there first with the most men" which is still a key to winning in set piece ground ground combat.
Forrest was also supported by extremely resourceful "flying artillerymen" who managed to keep their batteries in close formation with the quick moving mounted battalions. That meant that as soon as the Forrest's troopers dismounted to fight, they could be supported by their attached artillery who quickly unlimbered and began to send salvos downrange.
http://aycu04.webshots.com/image/19683/2001262956645166244_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001262956645166244)
Horse artillery of the period. Ordinary field artillery was horse-drawn as well of course, but the gun detachment marched alongside on foot. "Flying" or "horse" artillery employed a horse for every gunner and could therefore move much faster. Why didn't all light artillery of the period operate this way? Easy. Too many dang horses required! See, you gotta acquire them, they continually wear-out or get killed and you gotta feed 'em -- that was a major pain in the kiester.
On June 1, some 5,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry troopers under the command of General Samuel D. Sturgis trudged out of Memphis in search of the elusive Forrest. As an aside, Sam Sturgis is the guy for whom the town in the Blackhills of SD is named where motorcylists rally every summer. Rain and poor roads slowed Sturgis' troopers and foot soldiers and a week's travel found the Federals only 50 miles from Memphis.
http://aycu21.webshots.com/image/19780/2002077289038384533_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2002077289038384533)
Samuel Davis Sturgis ( June 11, 1822 – September 28, 1889) He served in the Mexican-American War, as a Union general in the American Civil War, and later in the Indian Wars.
Forrest had been preparing for an assault on the fat country in central Tennessee, but Sturgis's expedition forced him back to northern Mississippi. The Confederates spread out along a railroad between Tupelo and Corinth and awaited the Union advance.
On June 8, Forrest learned that Sturgis was moving on Tupelo. Forrest carefully selected Brice's Crossroads for its muddy roads and dense woods to mitigate the Union's numerical advantage and called for his men to attack the leading Yankee cavalry, which would force the trailing infantry to hurry to the battle and fight before recovering from the march.
The plan worked to perfection. Around 10 a.m. on June 10, the cavalry forces began fighting, which prompted the US infantry to make a five-mile dash at the double-quick in the intense Mississippi heat and humidity to reinforce their fellow soldiers.
http://aycu16.webshots.com/image/19655/2005740181184268032_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005740181184268032)
Despite being seriously outnumbered, in the afternoon, Forrest orchestrated a series of attacks all along the Union front, essentially attacking in several directions simultaneously which broke the Yankee lines and sent the Federals from the field in disarray with the Confederates in hot pursuit.
When a Confederate force reached the area near Tishomingo Creek Bridge, the Federals feared for their line of retreat, and what began as an orderly withdrawal turned into a panicked route after a wagon overturned on the bridge. Efforts by some Federal units, including the 55th and 59th U.S. Colored Troops, provided stiff resistance, but despite that, Forrest chased the Federal column for nearly 25 miles.
Brice's Cross Roads proved a brilliant Confederate victory. At a cost of only 493 casualties, Forrest's command of 3,500 had handled Sturgis' force of 8,500, inflicting 2,612 casualties in the process -- nearly a quarter of the whole US force. The Confederates captured 16 cannons and 176 supply wagons filled with victuals for man and horse as well as much-needed ammunition.
The chase continued into the next day. Forrest referred to such pursuits as "keeping the scare on" because a routed force can be prevented from rallying and counter-attacking if you stay with them as they run while whooping and hollering, taking potshots and occasionally cleaving a noggin or two with a cavalry saber. Forrest finally disengaged when Sturgis reached the Memphis suburbs.
Upon hearing of the defeat at Brice's Cross Roads, Sherman said:
"I will order them to make up a force and go out and follow Forrest to the death, if it cost 10,000 lives and breaks the Treasury. There never will be peace in Tennessee till Forrest is dead."
Sherman never killed Forrest but Forrest was never able to completely destroy Sherman's supply lines either. He definitely continued to give Sherman and the US leadership in the western theater fits until the war ended the next spring.
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads stands as his greatest tactical achievement and is still studied today in professional military circles. Not bad for a Mississippi-born farmboy who hadn't gone to school beyond fourth grade.
http://aycu26.webshots.com/image/19585/2005783231606699741_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005783231606699741)
US officers engaged in on-site study of the Brice's Crossroads battlefield.
The battlefield is administered by the National Park Service. The Brice's Crossroads Visitor and Interpretive Center has a large collection of artifacts from the battle.
http://aycu07.webshots.com/image/16646/2005766437607647744_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005766437607647744)
linkage:
http://home.nps.gov/brcr/planyourvisit/hours.htm
Postscript:
In Memphis...
http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/16290/2005783279377478010_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005783279377478010)
Great-Grandson of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest
http://aycu04.webshots.com/image/19683/2001256677671734254_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001256677671734254)
My favorite Forrest biography