Forrest's West Tennessee Raid

On December 11, 1862, Forrest's new command, woefully lacking in arms and ammunition, left Columbia to begin a raid that, if successful, might force the enemy to retire from Mississippi. The brigade reached the Tennessee River at Clifton four days later and crossed over two days, 50 men at a time under cover of darkness, though its movement was noticed and expected. On December 18, the brigade successfully engaged Union troops near Lexington, where Colonel Robert Ingersoll and most of his men were captured, and Lieutenant John Morton took command of two captured three-inch Rodman cannon. On December 19, Forrest attacked at Salem Cemetery to draw attention to Jackson while Dibrell attacked the stockade at Carroll Station, burning it and taking ammunition and other supplies, and Russell and Cox struck the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, burning bridges, cutting the telegraph, and then damaging the Mississippi Central Railroad. On December 20, Dibrell failed to take the Deer Fork Stockade after meeting unexpected Union reinforcements, but Starnes met little resistance at Humboldt and burned the stockade, depot, and railroad bridge, while Forrest attacked Trenton and captured several hundred horses and mules, thirteen wagons and ambulances, seven caissons, 200 artillery rounds, 400,000 rounds of small arms ammunition, and 100,000 rations. On December 21, the stockades at Rutherford Station and Kenton Station were captured and burned, with a railroad bridge burned and the track heavily damaged. On December 22, work parties began systematically wrecking a 50-mile section of track through the Obion bottoms, a task that took three days. On December 23, Forrest and 400 men took Union City when the Federals, believing themselves greatly outnumbered, surrendered without a shot. On December 24, a 40-man detachment rode into Kentucky and burned a bridge near Moscow, while General Thomas Davies at Columbus believed an attack by Forrest was imminent, and Forrest wrote to Bragg that his force had made a clean sweep of the Federals and the railroads north of Jackson. On December 25, the brigade destroyed bridges and trestles along the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad while riding toward the Tennessee River. On December 26, government property at Dresden was seized or burned. On December 27, Russell's 4th Alabama advanced to Huntingdon to seize and hold the crossings on the Obion River, while Cox was sent to establish a roadblock on the Paris-Huntingdon Road. On December 28, with Union troops pressing in pursuit, the brigade spent the night getting wagons and artillery across the bog-like Obion bottom between McKenzie and McLemoresville. On December 29, it pushed on to McLemoresville, rested briefly, resumed the march, and bivouacked that night at Flake's Store. On December 30, despite news that General Jeremiah Sullivan's command had reached Huntingdon, the exhausted men and teams rested, while Colonel Cyrus Dunham at Clarksburg learned Forrest was camped on the road to Parker's Crossroads and informed Sullivan of a plan to intercept and engage him there the next day. On December 31 came the Battle of Parker's Crossroads. Forrest's command included the Old Brigade of the 4th Tennessee Cavalry under Colonel James W. Starnes, the 8th Tennessee Cavalry under Colonel George C. Dibrell, the 9th Tennessee Cavalry under Colonel Jacob Biffle, the 4th Alabama Cavalry under Colonel Alfred A. Russell, and Freeman's Battery under Captain Samuel L. Freeman, along with reinforcements gained at Columbia and troops that joined near Union City.

Parker's Crossroads, Tennessee · United States