Fascinating Small Battles

[General Casey]

Personally, I think we are all in love and fascinated by the large scale battles - Gettysburg, Antietam, Wilderness, Shiloh, and Chickamauga.

But what smaller scale action are you fascinated by? For me, it would be a toss up between Ball's Bluff, the battles that comprised Burnside's North Carolina Expedition, and the September 1863 battle of Sabine Pass in Texas.

 

[NFB22]

I've always been fascinated by special operations or raid-type operations in early American history.

Some that come to mind.

• Captures of the USS Underwiter & USS Water Witch
• "Stovepipe" Johnson's raid on Newburgh, Indiana
• Morgan's Raid from Tennessee up through Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio
• Burning of the Judah in Pensacola by U.S. Marines and sailors
• Raid on the CSS Albemarle
• Mosby's Fairfax Raid
• St. Albans Raid in Vermont
• Other abortive raids and operations from Canada
• Grierson's Raid

The list goes on.

 

[Georgia Sixth]

For me, it's the whole cluster of small battles that make up the Red River/Camden campaign. Mansfield and Sabine Crossroads in Louisiana and Poison Springs, Mark's Mill and Jenkins Ferry in Arkansas. Plus, I'd toss in Banks' retreat down the Red, where Texas cavalry hounded federal gunboats all the way.

 

[AUG]

New Hope Church and Pickett's Mill of the Atlanta Campaign
Allatoona Pass, GA
Iuka, Corinth and Hatchie Bridge, MS
And just about anything in the Trans-Mississippi!

 

[CheathamHill]

Allatoona Pass, GA

This one X100

 

[Lt R. Blackwell 4th Texas]

Port Republic. Vicious little affair. Jackson won but hardly deserved to.

 

[kepi]

I'm not sure if this constitutes a battle, but the sinking of the Star of the West in the Yazoo near Greenwood, MS. I grew up there and when the river was really low, you could see a mound like "shape" in the river. There is also a remnant of the Confederate fortification still there I used to play on during hot summer days.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

I love the Battle of Parker's Crossroads battlefield.

Bill

 

[DixieRifles]

Star of the West in the Yazoo near Greenwood, MS

Battle of For Pemberton.
I was going to suggest that one. I grew up north of there and drove past the muzzle of Lady Richardson pointed across Hiway 82 many times.

 

[kepi]

Battle of For Pemberton.
I was going to suggest that one. I grew up north of there and drove past the muzzle of Lady Richardson pointed across Hiway 82 many times.

The Cannon that was there is now in the local Museum where it is protected from the elements. Jefferson Davis purchased that gun himself.

 

[DR_Hanna]

Some personal local favorites...
Mill Creek Gap,
Allatoona,
Columbus, GA.
Honey Hill

 

[DixieRifles]

The Cannon that was there is now in the local Museum where it is protected from the elements. Jefferson Davis purchased that gun himself.

Someone stole it from the pedastal on the hiway. The "detective" followed the drag marks to the guys house and retrieved it. The Museum sent it out to a shop to be refurbished. The shop called back to say the barrel was too short for that gun --- is it a Blakely? After checking dimensions a few more times they discovered it was still loaded.
Imagine all those years of high school kids stuffing fire crackers down the barrel and it never discharged.

 

[Michael W.]

Several that come to mind: 1. Land battles, Prairie Grove, Ark.
2. Naval actions. Two naval actions that I love, the first is the naval battle on the Mississippi in front of Memphis in 1863. Thousands of Memphis residents lined the bluffs overlooking the river hoping to see the Union Navy destroyed and Confederate control return to the area. Well, that didn't happen. To their horror, they watched as their little Rebel fleet was rammed, burned and sunk into submission. The second naval action was during the Red River campaign, when Lt. Col. Joseph Bailey built his famous Dam across the Red in order to raise the water level allowing the Union Naval ships to escape.

 

[Georgia Sixth]

Several that come to mind: 1. Land battles, Prairie Grove, Ark.
2. Naval actions. Two naval actions that I love, the first is the naval battle on the Mississippi in front of Memphis in 1863. Thousands of Memphis residents lined the bluffs overlooking the river hoping to see the Union Navy destroyed and Confederate control return to the area. Well, that didn't happen. To their horror, they watched as their little Rebel fleet was rammed, burned and sunk into submission. The second naval action was during the Red River campaign, when Lt. Col. Joseph Bailey built his famous Dam across the Red in order to raise the water level allowing the Union Naval ships to escape.

All good 'uns!

 

[7thWisconsin]

Battle of Dranesville, 1861. Meeting engagement between two foraging parties. Baptism of fire for the Bucktails and a huge morale boost for the U.S., still reeling from the disaster of Bull Run, followed by the catastrophe of Balls Bluff (another interesting small battle). As a miniature wargamer, I like small battles because they employ a small number of figures, fit on a dining room table and can be played in an hour or two.

 

[JeffBrooks]

Olustee. All of the battles of Early's 1864 Valley campaign.

 

[gunny]

Spring Hill ... Duh, Thompson's Station, Brentwood, Nolensville, April 1863 Franklin, June 1863 Franklin ...

 

[Lord of Mirkwood]

The Combahee Ferry Raid, June 2, 1863.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

Spring Hill ... Duh, Thompson's Station, Brentwood, Nolensville, April 1863 Franklin, June 1863 Franklin ...

You should write a book about the Battle of Spring Hill, Marine!

Semper Fi.....

Bill

 

[photoman475]

Georgia Sixth: Thank you for remembering my unit, the 5th Minnesota! They fought in that mess that Banks created. Three companies of the 5th, B, C and D, were involved in small unit actions at Forts Ridgely and Abercrombie during the 1862 Sioux Uprising-so lots of experience in small unit actions for the 5th.

In talking to the public at events, I like to stress the small battles, for they make up most of the fighting in the war. The public is so fixed on the large battles that I feel a sort of obligation to point out that you were just as wounded or dead as the result of small fights too.