Grierson's Raid was a
Union cavalry raid during the
Vicksburg Campaign of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. It ran from April 17 to May 2, 1863, as a diversion from
Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's main attack plan on
Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Background
Early in 1863,
Major General Charles Hamilton, the commander of the Corinth section of Grant's division, suggested what would eventually become Grierson's Raid. Subsequently, due to Hamilton's insistence on procuring a command that would garner him more glory, Hamilton offered his resignation. Grant quickly accepted.
In the
Western Theater of the American Civil War, Confederate cavalry raids under commanders such as
Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and
Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan had harassed Union expeditions, namely at the
Battle of Parker's Crossroads, where Forrest captured three hundred Union soldiers under
Brig. Gen. Jeremiah C. Sullivan, but lost all of the artillery pieces belonging to his own command. The task of drawing the attention of Confederate raiders away from the
Siege of Vicksburg fell to
Col. Benjamin Grierson, a former music teacher who disliked horses after being kicked in the head by one as a child. Grierson's cavalry
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
consisted of the
6th and
7th Illinois and
2nd Iowa Cavalry regiments.
The Raid
Grierson and his 1,700 horse troopers, some in Confederate uniforms serving as scouts for the main force, rode over through hostile territory (from southern
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, through the State of
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
and into Union-held
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
), over routes no Union soldier had traveled before. They tore up railroads and burned crossties, freed
slaves
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
, burned Confederate storehouses, destroyed locomotives and commissary stores, ripped up bridges and trestles, burned buildings, and inflicted ten times the casualties they received, all while detachments of his troops made feints confusing the Confederates as to his actual whereabouts, intent and direction. Total casualties for Grierson's Brigade during the raid were three killed, seven wounded, and nine missing. Five sick and wounded men were left behind along the route, too ill to continue. Grierson reported to have killed and wounded 100 Confederates, captured 500, destroyed between 50 and 60 miles of railroad, destroyed over 3,000 stands of arms (a rifle plus all its accompanying kit), and captured 1,000 horses and mules.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...
Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton (1814-1881), commander of the
Vicksburg garrison on the east bank of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
behind heavily fortified trenches, had few cavalry and could do nothing to stop Grierson from rampaging further east in the state's interior. Around the same period, on April 21, 1863, Confederate cavalry commander Maj. Gen.
Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877), had however pursued and captured another Union Army cavalry raider, Col.
Abel Streight (1828-1892), further east in
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
following a different poorly supplied and poorly planned raid (
Streight's Raid) by the generally more powerful and well-supplied
Union Army.
Although many other divergent Confederate Army cavalry units pursued Col. Grierson vigorously across the state (most notably
Wirt Adams' Cavalry Regiment and
Robert V. Richardson's Tennessee Cavalry), they were unsuccessful in stopping the raid driving southward.
[ Grierson and his troopers, exhausted by days in the saddle, ultimately rode into Union-occupied ]Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
, the capital of the state in early May.
In popular culture
The 1956 historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...
''The Horse Soldiers'' by Harold Sinclair, and the 1959 film of the same name loosely based on it – directed by John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...
, and starring John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
, William Holden and Constance Towers – are somewhat fictionalized versions of Grierson's Raid and the Battle of Newton's Station.
See also
* Battle of Newton's Station
* Clan Grierson
References
Notes
Further reading
* Laliki, Tom (2004). ''Grierson's Raid: A Daring Cavalry Strike Through the Heart of the Confederacy''. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York. .
* Lardas, Mark (2010). ''Roughshod Through Dixie – Grierson’s Raid 1863'', Osprey Raid Series #12; Osprey Publishing.
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1863 in the United States
Vicksburg campaign
Cavalry raids of the American Civil War
1863 in Tennessee
1863 in Louisiana
Military operations of the American Civil War in Tennessee
Military operations of the American Civil War in Louisiana
April 1863
May 1863