Battle of Jackson, Tennessee

Not to be confused with Battle of Jackson, Mississippi.
Battle of Jackson, Tennessee
Part of American Civil War

Scenes from Jackson, done three months before the battle
DateDecember 19, 1862 (1862-12-19)
Location
Jackson, Tennessee
Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America Confederate States of America
Commanders and leaders
Adolph Englemann Nathan Bedford Forrest
Units involved
Jackson garrison Forrest's Cavalry Division
Strength
Unknown 400 cavalry
Casualties and losses
6 Unknown

The Battle of Jackson, also known as the Battle of Salem Cemetery, was fought on December 19, 1862, in Madison County, Tennessee, during the American Civil War.[1][2][3]

Background

The engagement at Jackson occurred during Confederate Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's Expedition into West Tennessee, between December 11, 1862, and January 1, 1863. Forrest wished to interrupt the rail supply line to Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's army, campaigning down the Mississippi Central Railroad. If he could destroy the Mobile & Ohio Railroad running south from Columbus, Kentucky, through Jackson, Tennessee, Grant would have to curtail or halt his operations. Forrest's 2,100-man cavalry brigade crossed the Tennessee River from December 15 to December 17, heading west.[4] Grant ordered a troop concentration at Jackson under Brig. Gen. Jeremiah C. Sullivan and sent a cavalry force out under Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, to confront Forrest. Forrest, however, smashed the Union cavalry at Lexington on December 18.[4]

Battle

As Forrest continued his advance the next day, Sullivan ordered Col. Adolph Englemann to take a small force northeast of Jackson. At Old Salem Cemetery, acting on the defensive, Englemann's two infantry regiments repulsed a Confederate mounted attack and then withdrew a mile closer to town. To Forrest, the fight amounted to no more than a feint and show of force intended to hold Jackson's Union defenders in place while two mounted columns destroyed railroad track north and south of the town and returned. This accomplished, Forrest withdrew from the Jackson area to attack Trenton and Humboldt. Thus, although the Federals had checked a demonstration by a portion of Forrest's force, a major accomplishment, other Confederates had fulfilled an element of the expedition's mission.[4]

Rose Hill

Rose Hill is a large home built in 1823. During the Battle Of Jackson, Tennessee it was used as a hospital for both the injured Union and the Confederate soldiers. The house stands to this day and is currently a private residence.

Battlefield preservation

The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved 120 acres (49 ha) of the battlefield as of early 2024.[5]

Notes

  1. ^ Eicher, David J. (2002-03-30). The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-1846-7.
  2. ^ Sedore, Timothy S. (2020-03-10). Tennessee Civil War Monuments: An Illustrated Field Guide. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-04563-8.
  3. ^ Bishop, Randy (2010-04-09). TENNESSEE'S CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELDS: A Guide to Their History and Preservation. Pelican Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-4556-1470-7.
  4. ^ a b c NPS Archived September 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ [1] American Battlefield Trust "Saved Land" webpage. Accessed February 16, 2024.

References

Further reading

  • Wills, Brian Steel. The Confederacy's Greatest Cavalryman: Nathan Bedford Forrest. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1992. ISBN 0-7006-0885-0.

35°37′55″N 88°45′49″W / 35.6320°N 88.7635°W / 35.6320; -88.7635