Battle of Hatchie's Bridge

Battle of Hatchie Bridge Part of American Civil War Second phase of the Iuka–Corinth Campaign Date October 5, 1862 Location Hardeman County and McNairy County, Tennessee Result Union victory Belligerents United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy) Commanders and leaders Edward O. C. Ord Stephen A. Hurlbut Earl Van Dorn Sterling Price Units involved District of Jackson (3 brigades) Army of the West Casualties and losses 500 400

The Battle of Hatchie's Bridge, also known as Battle of Davis 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.^[1][2][3]

Order of battle

Union
District of Jackson – Major General Edward O. C. Ord (w)

Division	Brigade	Regiments and Others
4th Division      MG Stephen A. Hurlbut	1st Brigade    BG Jacob G. Lauman	52nd Indiana Infantry 28th Illinois Infantry 32nd Illinois Infantry 41st Illinois Infantry 53rd Illinois Infantry
	2nd Brigade    BG James C. Veatch	15th Illinois Infantry 14th Illinois Infantry 25th Indiana Infantry 53rd Indiana Infantry 46th Illinois Infantry: Col John A. Davis (mw)
	Provisional Brigade    Col Robert K. Scott	12th Michigan Infantry 68th Ohio Infantry
	Artillery	2nd Illinois Artillery 7th Ohio Artillery
	Cavalry	5th Ohio Cavalry

Confederate
Army of the West – Major General Earl Van Dorn

Price's Corps – Major General Sterling Price

Battlefield

Davis Bridge Battlefield
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Pocahontas, Tennessee
Coordinates	35°1′51″N 88°47′44″W / 35.03083°N 88.79556°WCoordinates: 35°1′51″N 88°47′44″W / 35.03083°N 88.79556°W
Built	1862
MPS	Archeological Resources of the American Civil War in Tennessee MPS
NRHP Reference #	97001549[4]
Added to NRHP	July 13, 1998

The battlefield site, known as Davis Bridge Battlefield, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. A 5-acre (20,000 m²) area of the battlefield is part of the Siege and Battle of Corinth Sites, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. The total battlefield area deemed potentially eligible for the National Register is 5,103 acres (2,065 ha), of which 861.5 acres (348.6 ha) has protected status.^[5]

References

1. National Park Service battle description Archived September 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
2. Davis Bridge Battlefield Page: Battle maps, photos, history articles, and battlefield news (CWPT)
3. Smith, Timothy B. Battle of Davis Bridge (October 5, 1862), Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
4. National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
5. Update to the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields, pp. 79-81