Forrest's 3:00 p.m. Cavalry Attack

By 2:30 p.m., Forrest's cavalry had fought to the outskirts of Spring Hill, where they saw Brigadier General George Wagner's division marching into town. Determined to seize the town and pike, Forrest ordered Brigadier General James Chalmers to attack despite Chalmers's warning that Federal infantry and artillery were present in force. Forrest insisted the enemy was only a small cavalry force, but as the Confederates neared the edge of the woods, twenty pieces of artillery and a long line of infantry opened fire, throwing the charge into chaos with horses falling, men shot, riderless horses fleeing, and limbs and bark covering the ground. The attack failed, and when Chalmers returned, Forrest conceded that the enemy had indeed been there in strength.

Spring Hill, Tennessee · United States