After leaving Old Washington, Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan and about 500 remaining cavalrymen were slowed by several skirmishes, including one at Hanna's Mill. Morgan's men had been reduced to using farm horses and whatever buggies and wagons they could find, making it difficult to stay ahead of Union pursuers. As they passed through Antrim, Morgan's Raiders paused to loot several stores. The Union commander directing the pursuit, Brigadier General James Shackelford, faced serious fatigue among his own men, but after stopping at Antrim only for food and a short rest, he renewed the chase. To hinder the pursuers, Morgan ordered the burning of the covered bridge over Stillwater Creek at Collinsport, now under Piedmont Lake, and Shackelford's men were close enough behind to see the bridge burning in the distance.