On January 25, 1864, Confederate Gen. James Longstreet ordered Gen. William T. Martin to eject Union cavalry from an area south of the French Broad River stretching from Dandridge to the Little Pigeon River. The next day, Union Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis directed his cavalrymen to watch area fords. Two Confederate cavalry brigades and artillery advanced from Fair Garden in the afternoon, only to be stopped about four miles from Sevierville. Other Confederates attacked Union troopers at Fowler's on Flat Creek, driving them back about two miles before fighting ended the day. On the morning of January 27, in a heavy fog, Col. Archibald Campbell and elements of the First Cavalry Division, including the 2nd Michigan Cavalry, 9th Indiana Cavalry, and Capt. Eli Lilly's Hoosier Light Artillery Battery, attacked Martin's Crossroads. The Federals fought all day across the farms of Stewart Dickey, Dr. Robert Hodsden, and John McNutt. At about 4 p.m., Federal cavalry charged with drawn sabers to scatter the Confederates, then bivouacked for the night. Sturgis pursued the Confederates on January 28 with his entire force to the French Broad River near Dandridge before three of Longstreet's infantry brigades offered serious resistance. Realizing that he was outgunned, Sturgis decided to evacuate the area, but first launched an unsuccessful attack against Confederate Gen. Frank C. Armstrong's isolated cavalry division. Sturgis lost the foraging grounds when forced to withdraw. The Federals suffered about 65 casualties, and the Confederates lost about 100 men.