The Second Battle of Memphis was a battle of the American Civil War occurring on August 21, 1864, in

Shelby County, Tennessee Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's List of counties in Tennessee, 95 counties, both in terms of p ...

Battle

At 4:00 a.m. on August 21, 1864, Maj. Gen.

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...

made a daring raid on Union-held Memphis, Tennessee, but it was not an attempt to capture the city, which was 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 The Irving Block prison was a wartime prison in Memphis, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. Notorious for its cruel and unsanitary living conditions, it was also known as the "Bastille" of Memphis. Creation The building that later became ...

; 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. During the raid, another—General

Cadwallader C. Washburn Cadwallader Colden Washburn (April 22, 1818May 14, 1882) was an American businessman, politician, and soldier who founded a mill that later became General Mills. A member of the Washburn family of Maine, he was a U.S. Congressman and governor o ...

—escaped to Fort Pickering dressed in his night-shirt after John Alexander Bryan of Co I, 15th Tennessee Cavalry, captured his horse. Forrest took Washburn's uniform, but later returned it under a flag of truce. According to Memphis legend, Confederate cavalrymen rode into the lobby of the luxurious Gayoso House Hotel seeking US army officers. A street in Memphis is named "General Washburn's Escape Alley" in commemoration of the ordeal.Weeks, Linton. ''Memphis, a Folk History.'' Parkhurst, Little Rock, 1982. p. 73. 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 and taking 500 prisoners along with large quantities of supplies, including many horses.

Results

Although Forrest failed in Memphis, his raid influenced Union forces to return there from northern Mississippi to protect the city. Union General

Stephen A. Hurlbut Stephen Augustus Hurlbut (November 29, 1815 – March 27, 1882), was an attorney and politician, who commanded the U.S. Army of the Gulf in the American Civil War. Afterward, he continued to serve as a politician and also as a diplomat. Althoug ...

was quoted afterward as saying, "There it goes again! They superseded me with Washburn because I could not keep Forrest out of West Tennessee, and Washburn cannot keep him out of his own bedroom!"

References

External links

CWSAC Report Update

Gayoso House Hotel

{{authority control Memphis II Memphis II Memphis II Shelby County, Tennessee Memphis II Memphis 1864 in Tennessee August 1864 events