Battle of Hatchie's Bridge
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The Battle of Hatchie's Bridge, also known as Davis's Bridge or Matamora, was fought on October 5, 1862, in Hardeman County and McNairy County, Tennessee, as the final engagement of the Iuka–Corinth Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate Major General Earl Van Dorn's army successfully evaded capture by the Union Army, following his defeat at the Battle of Corinth.
Van Dorn's (Confederate) Army of Tennessee retreated from Corinth, Mississippi, on October 4, 1862, but Union Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans did not send forces in pursuit until the morning of October 5. Maj. Gen. Edward O.C. Ord, commanding a detachment of Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee, was, pursuant to orders, advancing on Corinth to assist Rosecrans. On the night of October 4–5, he camped near Pocahontas. Between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. the next morning, his force encountered Union Maj. Gen. Stephen A. Hurlbut's 4th Division, District of Jackson, in the Confederates’ front. Ord took command of the now-combined Union forces and pushed Van Dorn’s advanced element, Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's Army of the West, back about five miles to the Hatchie River and across Davis's Bridge. After accomplishing this, Ord was wounded in the ankle and Hurlbut assumed command. While Price's men were hotly engaged with Ord's force, Van Dorn's scouts looked for and found another crossing of the Hatchie River. Van Dorn then led his army back to Holly Springs. Grant ordered Rosecrans to abandon the pursuit. Ord had forced Price to retreat, but the Confederates escaped capture or destruction. Although they should have done so, Rosecrans's army had failed to capture or destroy Van Dorn's force.
[edit] Order of battle
Union
District of Jackson – Major General Edward O. C. Ord
- 4th Division – Major General Stephen A. Hurlbut
- 1st Brigade – Brigadier General James C. Veatch
- 2nd Brigade – Brigadier General Jacob G. Lauman
- Provisional Division – Colonel Robert K. Scott
Confederate
Army of the West – Major General Earl Van Dorn
Price's Corps – Major General Sterling Price
[edit] Other
The battlefield site, known as Davis Bridge Battlefield, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
[edit] External links
- National Park Service battle description
- Davis Bridge Battlefield Page: Battle maps, photos, history articles, and battlefield news (CWPT)
- CWSAC report update
Coordinates: 35°02′06″N 88°47′58″W / 35.0350°N 88.7994°W
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