A critical factor in the Union defeat at Brice's Crossroads was an unknown officer's decision to bring most, if not all, of the Union supply train across the Tishomingo Creek Bridge and into the field across the road. When the time came for retreat, the slow-moving wagons clogged the narrow bridge and created panic among exhausted Union troops desperate to escape enemy fire. The supply train consisted of 250 wagons, each pulled by a team of four to six horses or mules. The wagons carried ammunition, food, forage, and equipment, and also served as ambulances.