The Battle of Irish Bend, also known as Nerson's Woods or Franklin, was a battle in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It was fought between

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Nathaniel Prentice Banks Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker by background, Banks was prominent in local debating societies, ...

against

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

Richard Taylor during Banks's operations against the

Bayou Teche Bayou Teche (Louisiana French: ''Bayou Têche'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in t ...

region near

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

, the seat of St. Mary Parish in southern

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Prelude

While the other two Union XIX Corps divisions under Nathaniel Prentice Banks were comprising the expedition into west

crossed

Berwick Bay Berwick Bay is the section of the Lower Atchafalaya River in Louisiana from Morgan City north to Sixmile Lake. U.S. Route 90 crosses Berwick Bay connecting the town of Berwick on the west bank of the Atchafalaya to Morgan City on the east ban ...

towards Fort Bisland,

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Cuvier Grover Cuvier Grover (July 24, 1828 – June 6, 1885) was a career officer in the United States Army and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Biography Grover was born in Bethel, Maine, the younger brother of Governor and Senator L ...

’s division went up the

Atchafalaya River The Atchafalaya River ( french: La Rivière Atchafalaya, es, Río Atchafalaya) is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and ...

into Grand Lake, where they could either block a Confederate retreat, or force a retreat if the Confederates stayed and fought at Fort Bisland. The battle occurred two days after the

Battle of Fort Bisland The Battle of Fort Bisland was fought in the American Civil War between Union Major General Nathaniel P. Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks' operations against the Bayou Teche region in southern Louisiana. P ...

Battle

On the morning of April 13, 1863, Grover's division landed in the vicinity of Franklin and scattered Confederate troops attempting to stop them from disembarking. That night Grover ordered the division to cross

and prepare for an attack towards

Franklin, Louisiana Franklin is a small city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,660 at the 2010 census. The city is located on Bayou Teche, southeast of the cities of Lafayette, () and New Iberia () and ) north ...

, at dawn. Meanwhile, however, Major General Richard Taylor reacted, feeling the obvious threat to his rear. He started withdrawing his forces from Fort Bisland, and his advance guard arrived quickly. On the morning of April 14, Taylor and his men were at Nerson's Woods, around a mile and a half above Franklin. As Grover's lead brigade marched out a few miles, it found Taylor's men on its right and skirmishing began. The fighting became intense; the Confederates attacked, forcing the Federal soldiers to fall back. The gunboat ''Diana'' arrived and anchored the Confederate right flank on the Teche. Still, Grover's men outnumbered the Confederates and when he paused to deploy his full force, Taylor withdrew rather than risk a pitched battle against superior numbers. Grover's men had taken the strategic position they sought. This victory, along with the one at Fort Bisland, two days earlier, assured the success of the expedition into west Louisiana.

Opposing Forces

Union

Army of the Gulf The Army of the Gulf was a Union Army that served in the general area of the Gulf states controlled by Union forces. It mainly saw action in Louisiana and Alabama. History The Department of the Gulf was created following the capture of New Orlea ...

—Major General

Nathaniel P. Banks Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker by background, Banks was prominent in local debating societies, ...

19th Corps — Major General

* 4th Division—Brig. Gen.

** 1st Brigade—Brig. Gen.

William Dwight William Dwight Jr. (July 14, 1831 – April 21, 1888), was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Raised in Massachusetts, he came from a notable family of military leaders. Early life William Dwight was born July 14, 1831, in ...

*** 1st Louisiana Infantry Regiment ***

22nd Maine Infantry Regiment The 22nd Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 22nd Maine Infantry was organized in Bangor, Maine and mustered in October 10, 1862, for nine months' service unde ...

Confederate

District of West Louisiana - Major General Richard Taylor * Mouton's Brigade - Brig. Gen. Jean Jacques Alfred Alexander Mouton ** 18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment - Colonel Armand ** 28th Louisiana Infantry Regiment - Colonel

Henry Gray Henry Gray (1827 – 13 June 1861) was a British anatomist and surgeon most notable for publishing the book ''Gray's Anatomy''. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) at the age of 25. Biography Gray was born in Belgrav ...

** 24th Louisiana Infantry Regiment (Crescent Regiment) - Colonel Bosworth ** 10th Louisiana Infantry Battalion (Yellow Jacket Battalion) - Lieutenant Colonel Fournet ** 12th Louisiana Infantry Battalion (Clack's Battalion / Confederate Guard Response Battalion) ** Pelican Battery - Captain Faries ** Cornay's Battery - Lieutenant Gordy ** Semmes' Battery - Lieutenant Barnes * Sibley's Brigade - Brig. Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley ** 4th Texas Cavalry Regiment - Colonel James Reily ** 5th Texas Cavalry Regiment - Colonel Thomas Green ** 7th Texas Cavalry Regiment - Colonel Arthur P. Bagby Jr. ** 13th Texas Cavalry Battalion (Waller's Battalion) ** Valverde Battery - Captain Sayer * Unattached ** 2nd Louisiana Cavalry Regiment - Colonel William G. Vincent

References

External links

CWSAC Report Update—Louisiana

Sources

* Ayres, Thomas., ''Dark and Bloody Ground : The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana'', Cooper Square Press, 2001. * Parrish, T. Michael, ''Richard Taylor, Soldier Prince of Dixie'', University of North Carolina Press, 1992. * Taylor, Richard, ''Destruction and Reconstruction : Personal experiences of the late war'', Time-Life Books, 1983. * Winters, John D., ''The Civil War in Louisiana'',

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

Louisiana State University Press The Louisiana State University Press (LSU Press) is a university press at Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, it publishes works of scholarship as well as general interest books. LSU Press is a member of the Association of American Univer ...

, 1963,
National Park Service battle description
{{authority control Irish Bend Irish Bend Irish Bend Irish Bend St. Mary Parish, Louisiana 1863 in Louisiana April 1863 events