Memphis Tennessee


American Civil War
August 21, 1864

At 4:00 am on the morning of August 21, 1864, Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest made a daring raid on Union-held Memphis, Tennessee, but it was not an attempt to capture the city, occupied by 6,000 Federal troops. The raid had three objectives:  to capture three Union generals posted there;  to release Southern prisoners from Irving Block Prison; and to cause the recall of Union forces from Northern Mississippi.

Striking northwestward for Memphis with 2,000 cavalry, Forrest lost about a quarter of his strength because of exhausted horses. Surprise was essential.  Taking advantage of a thick dawn fog and claiming to be a Union patrol returning with prisoners, the Confederates eliminated the sentries.

Galloping through the streets and exchanging shots with other Union troops, the raiders split to pursue separate missions.  One Union general was not at his quarters and another escaped to Fort Pickering dressed in his night-shirt. The attack on Irving Block Prison also failed when Union troops stalled the main body at the State Female College.

After two hours, Forrest decided to withdraw, cutting telegraph wires, taking 500 prisoners and large quantities of supplies, including many horses.

Although Forrest failed in Memphis, his raid influenced Union forces to return there, from northern Mississippi, and provide protection.

Result(s): Confederate victory

Location: Shelby County

Campaign: Forrest's Defense of Mississippi (1864)

Date(s): August 21, 1864

Principal Commanders: Major General C.C. Washburn [US]; Brig. General Nathan Bedford Forrest [CS]

Forces Engaged: Troops stationed at Memphis [US]; Forrest's Cavalry (approx. 400) [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 194 total (US 160; CS 34)


Grant's Lieutenants: From Chattanooga to Appomattox
This new volume assesses Union generalship during the final two years of the Civil War. Steven Woodworth, one of the war's premier historians, is joined by a team of scholars-- Grimsley, Marszalek, and Hess, among others--who critique Ulysses S. Grant's commanders

Kindle Available

Civil War Curiosities: Strange Stories, Oddities, Events, and Coincidences
This work was fascinating to read and was neither over dramatic or under written. The stories were lively and interesting and the additon of old photos and draqwings helped fill out the book.
Battle at Pittsburg Landing Art Print
Pitssburg Landing Civil War Tennessee

Civil War soldier toys 102 pieces
Civil War Soldier 102 Piece Playset
 
  • 25 Union and 25 Confederate Soldier Figures, 18 Horses, 10 Cannon
  • 2 Covered Wagons, 2 Tents, 2 Canoes, 2 Flags, 16 Fences
  • Size: Figures Stand up to 2-1/8 inches tall
  • Scale: 1/32nd, Wagons and Horses slightly smaller
 
Tennessee State Battle Map
State Battle Maps
American Civil War Exhibits
Campaigns of the War
Civil War Summary
Documents of the Civil War
Confederate Commanders
Union Generals
Civil War Timeline
Women Civil War Soldiers
Ships and Naval Battles
Confederate Supplies
Civil War Revolver Pistol
Civil War Model 1851 Naval Pistol
Engraved Silver Tone / Gold Tone Finish and Wooden Grips - Replica of Revolver Used by Both USA / Union and CSA / Confederate Forces
American Civil War Book Titles
Kindle Available
John Bell Hood

Advance And Retreat: Personal Experiences In The United States And Confederate States Armies
John Bell Hood entered the Confederate Army at 29, loyal to Confederate Independence. He led his men into the battles of Second Manassas, Gaines's Mill, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga
Kindle Available
Tennessee in the Civil War
Tennessee in the Civil War

Selected Contemporary Accounts of Military and Other Events, Month by Month
Winter Lightning
Winter Lightning: A Guide to the Battle of Stones River
Lincoln thanked Rosecrans saying that the nation could not have taken another defeat. Additionally, Lincoln said he would remember this victory as long as he lived
Storming The Heights
Storming the Heights: A Guide to the Battle of Chattanooga

The Confederate victory of Chickamauga drove the Union Army of the Cumberland back to the key railroad hub of Chattanooga. In early October it had appeared that all Union gains in southern Tennessee might be lost

The Last Confederate General: John C. Vaughn and His East Tennessee Cavalry
The first man to raise an infantry regiment in the state, and one of the very last Confederate generals to surrender.History has not been kind to Vaughn, who finally emerges from the shadows in this absorbing reassessment of his life and military career

Mosby's Rangers
From 1863 to the end, Mosby's raiders were a constant headache for the North. More than 1,000 men served under Mosby, they usually acted in small detachments of several dozen, sacking supply depots, attacking railroads, and harassing federal troops. They seemed to move behind enemy lines almost at will.

Guide to Civil War Nashville
The importance of Nashville during the Civil War, the campaigns that led up to and followed the battle, the actual Battle of Nashville, landmarks, tour guides, historic structures, markers, maps and GPS coordinates are given for many of the historic sites
Kindle Available
Southern Strom

Southern Storm
Sherman's March to the Sea

The destruction spanned more than sixty miles in width and virtually cut the South in two, disabling the flow of supplies to the Confederate army. He led more than 60,000 Union troops to blaze a path from Atlanta to Savannah, ordering his men to burn crops, kill livestock, and decimate everything that fed the Rebel war machine


Women in the War
Civil War Cooking
Civil War Submarines
Kids Zone Causes of the War

 

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.